#the real sass queen has arrived

[mingigoo]

Midnight Kisses || j.wy || (m.) || Part Two

Part Two ⇢ touch me

🍓 pairing ⇢ best friend! Wooyoung x single parent! (fem) reader x new flame! San

↳ you continue your efforts to date San, enjoying your time with him as Wooyoung takes care of your daughter. It’s confusingly unsettling to see you with someone else, and wooyoung decides to test the waters with you after he has to leave his apartment because of a gas leak. If he can’t have you, then no one can have you.

🍓genre ⇢ single parent au, bakery au, best friends to lovers, smut, fluff, slight angst

🍓 warnings/tags ⇢ this story is 18+, minors dni, talk of death (I’m sorry seonghwa ) relationship trauma, parenting, unrequited love but not at the same time, pining, single parent, loss, learning to love again, wooyoung is a total sass queen, wooyoung as a babysitter/wannabe father, San is a gentleman

🍓word count ⇢ 6.1k

🍓 taglist ⇢ @atinywhore @ch0isa99ie @jjhmk @yukine-smx @roe-sinning @meowmeowminnie @yeritheloml l @y00nzin0 @yesv01 @wubbster @spiderrenjunfics @8tinytings @halesandy @shegotboreddsoo @kangyeosangelic @sanshineeeeee @kodzukein @baguette-atiny @gayliljoong @seokwoosmole @nyeatinyjunkie @mdibby @miriamxsworld (if I missed you please lmk!!)

Midnight kisses masterlist

The day Seonghwa passed away was the day you finally felt all your walls tumble down. The same walls you spent so much time trying to build up. He was your person—your everything. The one who made you feel like you were worth more than anything in the world. All you needed was a smile, and all your worries were gone.

You never thought much into the idea of death; it always scared you. Well, not your own, but when it was someone you loved, it scared you so much that you would ignore it as if it weren't a looming presence over your head. Sometimes you wished to be able to see other’s death dates, and keep them in mind just like a birthday. 

Seonghwa left the world on the fourth day of the week on the three-hundred and twentieth day of the year. You had a thing for remembering the exact times of things—it made you feel like you were caring about things as much as they should be cared about.

It was a car accident. On a normal day. He was just supposed to be driving home to you, his pregnant girlfriend, to see you just like every other day. You were up waiting for him, sitting by the fireplace he decorated himself—the picture frames he put up still remained to this day, dust collecting on the tops of the frames like they were there for ages.

When you found out he was being rushed to the hospital, you called the only person who you knew would take care of you.

Wooyoung.

Being six months pregnant was enough stress, but when you got the news of his accident, you could have sworn you saw death itself for a moment.

Wooyoung rushed to you, tears in his eyes and his cheeks red from the cold. He burst through your door as if it was in his way to get to you. You were on the ground, on your knees. No tears fell, you were a bit too numb to believe everything. 

He knelt down next to you. He didn't try to move you. He didn't say anything—he just held you.

And that’s when you cried. 

He took you to see him, but you knew the end. Seonghwa’s mother was already there when you arrived, disheveled and in tears. She hugged you, well, at least you think she did. The whole memory was foggy, as if you wanted it gone but yet wanted it to stay. 

He was hard to look at. It was as if he wasn't the man you fell in love with. You had to check him, searching his body to find every detail of his. You prayed to find something that didn't pertain to him—it wasn't real. 

You knew it was him. You knew he was fading out. You knew your time with him was gone, and it was only a matter of minutes.

You're never prepared for death. No matter how much you might tell yourself you could understand it, once it happens, it’s as if you lost yourself along with them. He was the only light in your life, and when the beeps turned into silence, wooyoung pulled you into his arms and turned you around, holding back his tears for the sake of your pain.

That same night you went home, cradling his necklace and ring in the palm of your hand. The tears were stained on your cheeks—you weren't sure if they would ever leave. 

Wooyoung couldn't stop looking at you as he drove you to his place. He felt immense pain for you and your baby. He vowed, at that moment, to always make sure you were taken care of, even if he was a pain in the ass sometimes. At least he would be by your side so you were never alone.

And as the tires ran over the spiritless leaves, you wondered about where your love was. If there was a heaven, he’d be there. If there wasn't, well, you hoped he was with you in some way.

His necklace still draped your neck to this day, his grip on you was now just a safety blanket to protect your heart from breaking again.

—

“San is coming here?” wooyoung sighed, looking at you as he held onto a sleeping toddler. He swayed a bit as he spoke. “So last night went well, I guess?”

You slowly piped some frosting on top of a strawberry cupcake—your bestseller. You had a habit of hyper fixating on things, so you barely heard wooyoung’s disdain in his tone. 

“Yeah, it was nice. He’s a real sweetheart,” you smiled to yourself, thinking back on the kiss you shared. “It ended abruptly when someone interrupted us.”

“Ah.” he nodded, still swaying from side to side as Nabi drooled on his shoulder. He stared you down as you carefully made the cupcakes look just as beautiful as you. He thought about how pretty you looked with the frosting stained on your cheeks. “I see. So…am I watching Nabi again?”

You sighed, feeling a bit guilty for making him watch her. You knew he didn't have an issue with it when the time came, but you wondered about what if he had things to do. You set down the piping bag onto the counter.

“Do you have plans today? I don't want you thinking i’m just dropping her on you all the time,” you bit your tongue slightly. 

Wooyoung adjusted Nabi, offering you a smile at the same time. “No, I’m not doing anything today. Other than going to Yeo’s for some dinner later.”

“Still,” you sighed, noticing that his hip seemed to be getting tired of holding her. “If you could just watch her for a few hours that would be great. I wont bug you for a while then.”

He smirked. “I never want you to stop bugging me. It’s the only thing keeping me grounded,” he teased, a smile resting on his beautiful face as he looked down at your daughter.

You walked over to him, close but not close enough. 

“Here, gimme her and take a break.” you said to him, your hands out for him to give you Nabi. 

She was getting heavier day by day, growing up as fast as a lightning bolt. It was weird to think about—seonghwa’s been gone so long it was hard to remember his voice. The only thing you had was Nabi, who constantly gave you a memory of him.

He slowly lifted Nabi up out of his hold, and set her in your arms. His fingers brushed against yours, causing him to stutter. “I-i’m sorry about yesterday…” he trailed off, unable to meet your gaze. “I didn't mean to scare you.”

You furrowed your brows, fixing the stray hairs on Nabi’s forehead. “About that, why did you do it? I’m not upset, just confused. I know you're a little shit, but that was just weird.”

He still couldn't meet your eyes. He stared down at the ground, deep in thought as if he couldn't understand his own actions. “To be totally honest, I don't know why I did that…” he sighed, looking up to now lean against the counter. “I really don't know.”

“It’s alright, woo,” you nodded, looking over at him. He was just staring at you now, looking as if he were lost in your eyes. “Anyway, San will be here around four. Could you please be friendly to him? That's all I ask.” you spoke softly, expecting him to be snarky. What you didn't expect was him to nod in agreement and remain silent.

“Wooyoung, are you alright? You seem off today…” you asked him, taking a step closer. “You're not putting up a fight?”

He scoffed at that, trying his best to seem normal when, in fact, he felt very different. “Pfft. I'm fine. Perfectly fine,” he smiled at you, but it didn't reach his usual expressive eyes. “I’ll take her with me to yeo’s. He loves it when she dances around the apartment.”

You smiled at your best friend. He could have easily said he had something to do today, given how he acted yesterday. You were really worried if he hit his head or something. 

“Are you sure you're alright?” you narrowed your eyes, staring him down. 

He looked around, anywhere but your eyes. “Of course I am.”

“Mhmm,” you hummed, clicking your tongue. “Sure. Please tell me if you're planning on getting laid tonight or drinking. If you are, don't worry about watching Nabi—”

Woo laughed at that, but still, you knew something was off with them. If he wanted to, he would tell you. So you just let him go.

“Don’t worry, cupcake. No one’s getting a slice of this fine ass tonight—“

There's the usual nonsense. “Okay ew. Anyway, I expect some pictures of her dancing.” You smiled, thinking back on the first time you met Yeosang—or yeo, for short. 

He was the quiet boy in your class who always sat behind you. He kept to himself most days, but oh, did he have just as much sass as wooyoung. He was more careful about it, but you knew those two would get along perfectly. It’s funny now that they’re still friends, it makes you happy to send off your daughter to a group of goofballs.

—

Time came and went. The doors chimed right at 4 o’clock sharp, and in walked a handsome man you couldn't help but stare at.

Wooyoung didn't seem nearly as enamored as you.

“Y/n,” San hummed, coming in with a small bouquet of daisies and a smile. Wooyoung was sitting in one of the window seats playing go-fish with Nabi. She wasn't good at it, but loved to call out go fish like the cutie she is.

Wooyoung’s eyes followed your date as he walked in like a million bucks. All that kept circulating in his head was that you liked tulips better.

“San, It's nice to see you again.” You smiled back at him, thanking the lord you closed a bit early to clean up your appearance. You gave wooyoung a side-eye, nodding towards the door for him to leave. He ended up sighing, and then got up reluctantly.

“Come on, honey. Let's go to Uncle Yeo’s.”

“Yay! Is mommy coming?”

Woo looked over at you. You were too entranced in San to even notice his stare. He sighed, and gathered the go-fish cards on the table. “No, baby. Maybe next time. It's just you and me.” he gave her a wink as he cleaned up the table. 

“Bye, sweetheart,” he said to you, unable to meet you or San in the eye. “I’ll be back with the butterfly when you're ready.”

You looked over at him despite how ethereal San was looking in front of you. You noticed the slight look of tension in his eyes, but you couldn't pinpoint it. “Just take her home when you're done. I’ll be home at a decent time.”

San watched your banter with a small frown. You both seemed so…domestic, for lack of better word. It was as if you were a couple raising Nabi, and that there was no place for him in this scene.

“Okay, I’ll see you at home,” he waved as he held onto Nabi’s tiny hand.

The door shut softly as the bells chimed, leaving you alone with San and a heavy feeling in your heart.

San leaned up against the counter, a shy smile on his pretty face. “It seems like Nabi loves wooyoung, huh?”

You shook away your worrisome thoughts and smiled back at the man that seemed to care deeply for you already. “Oh, yeah. They're like the same person. It's kind of scary.”

San looked over his shoulder towards the door that wooyoung just walked out of. The room was quiet—the only sound being the faint hum of the refrigerator. 

“Oh,” he said quickly, turning back to you to hand you the flowers in his hands. “These are for you. I wasn't sure what your favorite flower was, so I picked these because they reminded me of you.”

The eye-catching daisies complimented his elegant appearance. It was as if he was straight out of a story—like a runaway prince. You took the flowers from his hands, brushing your fingers against his.

“Thank you, San,” you hummed, leaning down to smell the floral scent. “They're beautiful.”

“Like you,” he scrunched his nose up, shaking his head. “Ah, no. That was cheesy.”

You blushed at his comment. It was sweet, even if it was a little cheesy. “So, what do you want to do?”

He looked around the bakery and then at you, noticing a bit of flour on your cheek. He leaned in to brush his hand against your skin, close enough for you to remember how his lips felt against yours. “You have a little something here. Ah, got it.”

You blushed even more.

What, were you a teenager or something?

“Thank you,” you cleared your throat, unable to meet his intense stare. “Um, so, do you want to go somewhere or….”

San chuckled at your reaction to him. He brushed your hair behind your ear softly, afraid to pull your hair by accident. “I thought you were gonna bake me a cake…” he trailed off, that gorgeous smile still on his face.

“I almost forgot!” you beamed, looking down at yourself. You did clean up, but what would it matter if you got some more flour on you? Maybe he would clean you up—

“I think I’m in the mood for some chocolate cake,” he pondered playfully, unable to lose his gaze from you. “If you could teach me how to make it.”

You smiled at him, butterflies in your stomach. 

“Oh, I can do more than just teach you.”

—

“She’s dating again?” yeosang gasped, nearly dropping his drink. “Are you serious? And it’s not you?”

Wooyoung scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why would I date her? She's like a sister to me.”

Yeosang smirked, and took a sip from his cup. “Whatever you say, Woo. Whatever you say.”

Wooyoung stood in Yeosang’s kitchen, all pissy and slightly tipsy. Nabi was sitting on the floor of his living room, staring up at the tv. He had put on her favorite cartoons while he and Yeo had a conversation—one that he didn't understand why he needed to talk about it.

“I don't like the guy. He’s…he’s too nice,” Woo growled, watching his older friend roll his eyes . “Hey, why’d you do that?”

“Do what?”

“You know, the eye thingy. You just rolled them at me.”

“Pfft. No I didn't.” 

Wooyoung sighed. “I’m just saying—”

“Listen, dude,” Yeosang let out a sigh too, setting down his drink to fully focus on his oblivious friend. “I think you just dislike the idea she’s with someone else.”

“Oh, come on,” Wooyoung sneered annoyingly. “I could care less. I just want someone that will be good to her—”

“Someone like you.”

“Yeah, exactly—wait no,” woo paused, running a hand through his hair aggressively. “Fuck, not me. That’s not what I meant. All I’m saying is that I take care of her and Nabi like they're my own. I want them to be my own, but—”

“Wooyoung,” Yeosang smiled sadly, tilting his head at the younger boy. “You just said it for yourself. You want them to be yours.”

“Y-yeah, but not in that way,” he stuttered, looking down at the granite counter. 

“Okay,” yeo nodded, picking back up his mug to walk into the living room where Nabi was. “Anyway, I’m gonna go sit with the butterfly while you sort out your…complicated feelings.”

Wooyoung furrowed his eyebrows, his heart tightening by the thought of you being kissed by San. or anyone, in general. 

“There's nothing complicated about them.” Woo muttered under his breath, only for him to hear. He felt a twinge in his heart as he said the painful lie, but didn't quite understand how he truly felt. He knew deep down what was holding him back. He just didn't want to admit it.

Wooyoung followed his best friend into the living room where Nabi was staring up at yeosang. He held the remote in his hands, a huge grin on his face as he looked at the little girl. “Wanna dance?” He asked her, offering a hand out. Wooyoung watched with his arms crossed, a smile resting on his lips.

“Yes!” Nabi giggled, pushing herself up from the ground as Yeo put on some of her favorite k-pop songs. Sound filled the room as smiles reached everyone’s eyes, and all wooyoung could think about was how beautiful nabi was.

 She was just like you—shining bright, a heart of gold. She had your face, your details. She was so important to Wooyoung, so important that it scared him. He hasn't gone out in ages. He hasn't let himself away from your life and your kid as if it were tied to him. 

Wooyoung took his phone out of his pocket to record Nabi’s happiness, letting out laughs as she jumped around the room. He sent it to you, then, knowing you weren't going to see it right then and there. 

He sent a text underneath the video.

Look at our Nabi.

—

“You look cute with chocolate on your nose.”

You teased San as you plopped some chocolate icing onto his cute nose. He scrunched it up slightly, his eyes crossing to get a good look at it. 

Awe, that was even cuter. “I’ll get it for you,” you giggled, leaning up to lick off the icing without a second thought. Your heart began to pound, his eyes uncrossed now and staring at you intently. 

“T-thanks,” he hummed, looking down at you as if you were just as tasty as the chocolate cake. You had just finished icing it, and all it needed was some decorations. You weren't too sure if you were going to get to that part.

His arm snaked around your waist, his fingertips meeting your sides. His breathing quickened, and yours did too. It honestly felt like you didn't know how to inhale oxygen.

“Are you gonna kiss me?” you asked him, tilting your head up to meet him in the eye.

He chuckled at that, his hands tightening on your waist. “If it’s okay.”

“Mhm. it’s perfectly fine with me,” you whispered as his lips approached yours. “Very fine with me.”

The minute his gentle, soft lips enveloped yours, you saw wooyoung in your mind. Confused as ever, you furrowed your eyebrows as San deepened the kiss, trying your best to get his image out of your mind.

It was crazy. You imagined him every time you closed your eyes. He seemed so off today, you were too busy thinking about him over the man parting open your lips.

Wooyoung. Wooyoung. Wooyoung. woo—

San pulled back, his expression sensual, but his eyes seemed conflicted. “Are you okay?” he asked you, but he didn't pull back far enough. You masked your confusing thoughts with a flirty smile and leaned in for a kiss. 

“Yeah, of course I am,” you nodded, wrapping your arms around him. “Just obsessed with you, is’all.”

Wrong. You did find him attractive, but something was going off in your mind. For some reason, it didn't feel right. It felt like there was just something unbalanced—but that was nowhere near San’s fault. You just associated it with the fact you haven't dated since you met Seonghwa. On top of that, you suffered being a widow at the age you should be thinking of less complicated things. 

Yeah. That's right. It’s just the trauma talking.

Certainly has nothing to do with Wooyoung. Right? Right. 

Maybe. 

“Good, because I'm even more obsessed with you,” he breathed, his eyelashes fluttering seductively. You planned on having sex with him tonight. No doubts, no worries. You wanted to, but now, you had an uneasy feeling. It had nothing to do with him, it was your own issue. You wondered if you would ever get over it.

Did you have to get over this ache? It didn't exactly hurt. If you ever had a concussion, this is exactly how you would have thought it felt. The amount of confusion was unsettling—considering how ready you were to fuck this man just the day before.

San took you home, but not before you tried to hurry and close up shop. He followed you up the apartment building’s steps, both of you in too much of a hurry to wait for the elevator.

He kept his distance from you as you tried to unlock the door, his hands behind his back, but his eyes ravaged you like a vulture. You appreciated his respect, and you noticed a bit of hesitation behind those pretty eyes of his.

You made your way into the apartment, mind spinning as you flicked on the lights. A few of Nabi’s toys were scattered around the floor, and you shyly pulled away from San to pick them up and toss them into her toy bin. “Ah, I’m sorry, It’s a little messy.”

San shrugged, tilting his head at you. “You can't expect it to be sparkling when you have such big responsibilities,” he smiled, leaning against the wall next to the door. He watched you silently as you threw stuff to make it look cleaner. “Don't worry about it, your place is perfect.”

His pretty eyes wandered to the fireplace in the corner of the living room. A picture frame of you and Seonghwa sat on the mantle, causing San to let out a sigh. You followed his line of vision and awkwardly rubbed your arm. 

“That…he was my boyfriend. Nabi’s Dad.” you clarified, walking closer to San. He nodded, his eyes softening as you came up to him. His hands slid down your arms, his lips tight and his eyes kind.

You interrupted the awkward conversation with a quick kiss to his lips. San kissed back, but pulled away for a second.

“If this is…too soon for you, I—” he looked down. “I’ll wait. I’ll wait for you to be ready. Please don't think we need to rush into sex and everything else.”

Your eyes widened at the sweetness of his words. Of his touch. He seemed to care for you despite just meeting you. A guy like him was rare, and you were lucky to experience someone just as kind.

You paused, very aware of his cautious hand placement on your arms.

 “It's not that I don't want to, because I do. I really do,” you sighed, looking up into his dark eyes. “I really want to be ready. I want to stop moping around and live the way he wanted me to live but,” you stopped, afraid of becoming too vulnerable with him. It wasn't fair to him to deal with your baggage.

You couldn't say that it was hard to move on. Sure, you have had your time for yourself, kept the bakery up since He would've loved it. You got out of your comfort zone, opened up to others. And now, here you were, with another man as one of his wishes was for you to always find love even if it wasn't him. 

He would tell you over and over again, which made you feel like he knew what would happen to him. You knew that wasn't true, but his goal for you was happiness. And you were going to find it. You were going to make him proud. 

San caught on to your silence. “Okay, I’ll wait,” He smiled, rubbing his fingers into your skin. “Whenever you’re ready for the next step, I’ll be there.”

You let out a soft sigh of relief. Relief for the fact that he still wanted to try this with you despite your mess of a life. 

You stood in silence for a little while, debating on what to do now.

“So, uh. Do you want to watch a movie with me?”

—

Wooyoung was on his way back from a good time at Yeosang’s, pulling into your apartment Complex’s parking garage. He turned the car off the minute he parked it and looked back to see Nabi sleeping in her car seat. He made sure he had one in his car at all times since she was with him all the time. 

He hoped things wouldnt  change too much when his workload gets a bit heavier. Wooyoung started college a bit late, jumping into online classes instead of in person since the timing was wrong. The moment he decided to go to school, he didn't have the heart to tell you. It was the same time as seonghwa’s passing, feeling that if woo left you to go to school, you would've been alone with a newborn and no help.

So he gave it all up. It didn't change anything—he would do anything for you.

Wooyoung got out of the car and opened the back door, unclipping Nabi’s seatbelt. 

“Come here, pretty girl,” he cooed, lifting her out of the seat with a groan. Gosh you're getting big.”

Nabi was still sound asleep as he held her to him, positioning her on his hip as he shut the door. He didn't know if you were home yet, but it was past ten at night—way past Nabi’s bedtime. He didn't want to keep her out too long, afraid that she wouldn't be comfortable.

He trudged into the building, getting into the elevator while Nabi slept comfortably on his side. Once it reached your floor, Woo debated on knocking or not. Deciding on the latter, he turned the knob to enter the home, lights off and shoes that weren't his sat on the floor. 

Welp. 

Nabi let out a tired yawn. “Just wait, baby. I’ll get you to bed.” Woo whispered, peeking around into the living room to see you tangled in San’s hold, a blanket covering the both of you. You were sleeping, but San was awake as he held you to his body.

“Uh,” Wooyoung coughed, looking from Nabi to San’s wide eyed gaze. “I’m just here to bring Nabi back.”

San took a second to process. He gave Wooyoung a short nod. “Alright.”

Woo walked past you then, but not before giving you a worried glance.

He entered Nabi’s room, turning the light on and setting her down gently in her bed. He tucked her in as well as tucking the hair behind her ear, looking down at the daughter he always dreamed of. He sighed, and leaned to plug in her night light when he heard someone approach from the doorframe.

“You can head out,” San spoke quietly from the door, leaning up against it. “I can help her.”

Wooyoung paused for a second, but then fixed the blanket to pull it up to Nabi’s chin. 

“Do you know what to do when she can't sleep?” Wooyoung inquired, rather cockily. He didn't mean to come off that way, he was just protecting what was his.

Or what wasn't his. If it couldn't be his, it couldn't be anyone else's.

San’s eyes widened at Wooyoung’s tone. “No, but I’m sure I could—”

“Do you know that she can't sleep without her nightlight? Or that she has trouble breathing sometimes because of her asthma? That she gets nervous if the door is fully shut?” He swallowed the rest of his words, looking over at the man that stood in the way of his unknown happiness.

San sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Look, Wooyoung. I don't want to cause problems here. I just want to treat y/n right.” San looked over at the sleeping girl, an unknown feeling bubbling in his chest.

Wooyoung made his way to walk out the room, but stopped when he got face to face with San. 

“Don't rush it, man.” Woo sneered, but it was honest. You were precious; your heart was precious. He looked San up and down before leaving the room. He made his way into the living room where you were sleeping. He resisted his urge to break the distance to brush your hair out of your face.

He didn't understand his feelings, but he wasn't happy sharing you. Wether his mind thought you were like a sister to him, or his heart’s only reason for beating was you—either way, he felt so protective of you. Of Nabi. Of whatever type of relationship you had.

He let out a sigh, and then left, leaving behind a family he wished was his.

—

“There's what? A gas leak?”

“Uh huh.”

“And you can't stay in your apartment?”

“Nope.”

“So, you want to stay here?”

“Yep.” 

You sighed. Wooyoung was standing outside your apartment door with a duffel bag full of clothes you assumed. It was nine o’clock, a nice, cool September morning. He stared at you with those puppy dog eyes you could never say no to.

It was a few weeks after that date with San. it ended well, you waking up in his arms in the morning and Nabi neatly tucked into bed. You knew that Wooyoung came while San was there, but only because San told you he stopped by.

After that night, you spent days and days with San, bringing Nabi along so you didn't burden Wooyoung. Something still felt off as you spent your time with the sweet boy, but once again, it was probably all the stress you had on yourself to be happy. Maybe you were forcing it too much.

Back to the present, you haven't seen Wooyoung since a few days ago—you’ve been spending all your time with San. You missed him, so it was nice to see him. 

“Is there really a gas leak?” you raised an eyebrow, to which he gave you his signature smirk.

He walked into the apartment, sliding off his shoes and making himself at home. “Yes, I promise. I wouldn't make you deal with me on purpose.” he giggled, plopping onto the couch. “Just kidding. I would.”

He wasn't lying though. He was rudely awakened at five in the morning to a fireman slamming on his door. He ended up standing outside in his underwear and a t-shirt for two hours, until he was allowed to go in just to grab some clothes. He took the opportunity to grab a bag full so he could come to you.

You shut the door and turned towards him.

Wooyoung smirked, getting comfy in the corner of your couch. “Where’s Nabi? Still sleeping?” he asked you, unable to look away from you. From how your t-shirt was wrinkly from sleep, to how your eyes were barely open.

You nodded, sitting down next to him. You looked over at your best friend, who couldn't keep his eyes off you. “What?” you asked.

Woo shrugged, hugging his knees and kicking his feet slightly. “Nothing, you're just gorgeous.”

You scoffed, slapping him on the shoulder. “Shut up, Woo.”

He chuckled, and brought his attention to the wilting daisies in the vase on the fireplace. 

His smile faded slightly.

You yawned, stretching out your limbs. “Anyway, I was just about to make breakfast, so—”

“What’s your relationship with him?” Wooyoung interrupted, his chaotic behavior gone in seconds. He looked down at his duffle bag, which was sitting on the floor by the coffee table.

You furrowed your brows, pulling your legs up to sit criss-crossed. “Huh? With San?” you questioned. “What do you mean?”

“Are you dating him?” He pestered, letting out a pained laugh. “I mean, I know you're going on dates and sleeping together but like…”

“Were not..sleeping together,” you said with hesitance, but you got a hold of yourself. “And…to be honest, he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend yet so, uh, we’re just seeing each other.”

Woo was quiet for a few moments, his attention full on the decaying flowers. It hurt him, for some reason, that San was able to sneak into your heart so easily. That he didn't even have to try while wooyoung has been by your side since he could remember. It also bothered him deeply that he felt this way about you—it confused him.

It only took someone to come in the way for him to realize that he might feel something for you.

But…he couldn't do that to Seonghwa. Despite knowing his wishes were for you to find happiness, Wooyoung couldn't fathom the fact that your happiness could be him.

“Ah,” He gulped, trying to distract himself from his confusing thoughts. He wasn't sure if he felt a romantic tug to you, or if it was just an attachment issue. “Could I try something?” 

You frowned, turning towards him. “Depends. Are you plotting murder?”

Usually he would have laughed at that. You knew he was in his thoughts because of his lack of response. 

You sat still as he faced you now, his eyes clouded and his expression worrisome. He reached out—slowly towards you, his fingertips meeting the bare skin of your cheek. You held in your breath as he cupped your face, his lips parting as he analyzed his feelings.

“What are you doing—”

“I need you to touch me.” is all he said, his face stone cold and his eyes even colder. You hesitated at those words, but something was burning inside you as his other hand rested on your knee.

You compiled without thinking, as if your body was demanding you to touch him. Your hand met his arm, running it up his sweatshirt sleeve. Suddenly, his hand that was on his knee gripped your wrist, guiding it to his face. 

You flinched as the hand that was on your cheek moved, his thumb now caressing your bottom lip. His eyes narrowed as he swallowed the lump in his throat. You felt your heart beat faster and faster with each passing moment, both of you close enough to press your lips against each other’s.

“I don't know…what I'm feeling,” he hummed, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes searching for yours. “I don't know why it makes me mad to see you with San.”

You let out a breath, his thumb still rubbing your lip. Your hand moved on its own, curling behind his ear to brush his two-toned hair back. His expression softened.

Before you were able to respond, a small, confused voice interrupted you.

“Mommy? Are you kissing him?” Nabi stood with her stuffed butterfly plushie in her hands, staring at you two. You were frozen in place, touching each other in a way you never did before. You both looked at the young girl with shock. “Kiss kiss kiss kiss—”

You jumped out of Wooyoung's grip, leaving him all flustered. You walked into the kitchen, holding onto Nabi’s little hand. “Shh. No, mommy wasn't kissing him.”

Your daughter was only three, but oh, she definitely caught onto something. You cleared your throat, looking over to see wooyoung in the same exact spot, looking down at his hands. You huffed, pushing out the weird butterflies you got from his touch. You subconsciously lifted your hand up to your lips, remembering the feeling of his fingertips on them. 

You groaned, distracting yourself with making breakfast. 

“Why do you have a bag?” Nabi asked Woo from the living room. You didn't even look over as you gathered ingredients for chocolate chip pancakes. 

“I’m staying here. For a little bit.”

“Why?” she asked him. “Do you love my mom?”

That caught your attention. Man oh man, she was way ahead of her age group, and you even were in the talks of enrolling her into pre-school. It was starting this month, and you felt like it would be great for a smart cookie like her.

Wooyoung was standing up now, bag in hand, looking over at you. He frowned for a moment, but immediately covered his face in happiness for the little one. “Of course I love your mom. She’s just like you.”

It took everything in you to avoid that unstable feeling—Wooyoung was the only one other than Seonghwa to make you feel that way.

Woo walked over to you then, his normal persona back and a big smile plastered to that painfully gorgeous face of his. 

Everything you felt for Wooyoung came crashing through your mind the minute you looked at his lips, your heart pounding and your mind spinning.

Oh, dear god. What was this feeling?

With a wink, he shattered any chance of you falling in love with someone else—you just didn't know it, yet.

“So, do I get the right or left side of the bed?”

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: Cozy Mystery Series Starters

Nonna Maria and the Missing Bride by Lorenzo Carcaterra

Nonna Maria has lived in Ischia, an island in the Gulf of Naples, her entire life. Recognizable by the widow's black she's worn every day for decades, she always has pasta on the stove and espresso in the pot for the neighbors who stop by to ask her advice on life and love. Everyone knows her, and she knows everyone's business. So if something goes wrong, islanders look to her, and not the local carabinieri, to find the solution.

When a recently engaged woman confesses that she's afraid her fiancé might not be who he seems, Nonna Maria helps her disappear while she investigates the true nature of her betrothed, a stranger to Ischia with a murky past. The stranger has also raised the suspicions of Captain Murino of the carabinieri, but he's occupied investigating the death of a tour boat captain who drowned in the wee hours of the morning. Captain Murino believes it's an accident, but Nonna Maria knew the man was a born sailor, and too good a swimmer to drown, no matter how much wine he might have drunk. While Captain Murino has his hands full, she pours herself a glass of white wine and gets to work, even though getting involved will expose her to the dangers lurking just beneath the surface of her idyllic home.

This is the first volume in the “Nonna Maria” series.

The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton

In need of a good adventure, Delaney Nichols takes the leap and moves to Edinburgh, Scotland to start a job at The Cracked Spine. She doesn't know much about what she's gotten herself into, other than that the work sounds exciting, and that her new boss, Edwin MacAlister, has given her the opportunity of a lifetime. Edwin has promised that she'll be working with "a desk that has seen the likes of kings and queens, paupers and princes," and Delaney can't wait to get started.

When she arrives, she meets her new Scottish family; also working at the Cracked Spine are Rosie, perpetually wrapped in scarves, and who always has tiny dog Hector in tow; Hamlet, a nineteen-year-old thespian with a colored past and bright future; and Edwin, who is just as enigmatic and mysterious as Delaney expected. An unexpected bonus is Tom the bartender from across the street, with his piercing eyes, and a rolling brogue -- and it doesn't hurt that he looks awfully good in a kilt.

But before she can settle into her new life, a precious artifact -- a previously undiscovered First Folio of Shakespeare's plays -- goes missing, and Edwin's sister is murdered, seemingly in connection to the missing folio. Delaney decides to do some sleuthing of her own, to find out just what the real story is behind the priceless folio, and how it's connected to the tragic death, all without getting harmed herself.

This is the first volume in the “Scottish Bookshop Mystery” series. 

Mimi Lee Gets a Clue by Jennifer J. Chow

Mimi Lee hoped to give Los Angeles animal lovers something to talk about with her pet grooming shop, Hollywoof. She never imagined that the first cat she said hello to would talk back or be quite so, well, catty—especially about those disastrous dates Mimi's mother keeps setting up.

When Marshmallow exposes local breeder Russ Nolan for mistreating Chihuahuas, Mimi steals some of her cat's attitude to tell Russ off. The next day the police show up at Hollywoof. Russ has been found dead, and Mimi's shouting match with him has secured her top billing as the main suspect.

Hoping to clear her name and save the pups Russ left behind, Mimi enlists help from her dreamy lawyer neighbor Josh. But even with Josh on board, it'll take Mimi and Marshmallow a lot of sleuthing and more than a little sass to get back to the pet-grooming life—and off the murder scene.

This is the first volume in the “A Sassy Cat Mystery” series. 

A Doomful of Sugar by Catherine Bruns

There's nothing sweet about murder…

Leila Khoury has always believed that everyone loved her father as much as they loved his artisanal maple syrup. But when he's killed, and she returns to Sugar Ridge, Vermont to take over his business, she starts to realize how much of his life she's left untapped.

With her brother under suspicion, her mother just barely holding it together, and police not producing any leads, Leila will have to investigate herself if she wants answers about her father's sticky end. But the more she learns, the more she worries that there won't be a sappy ending to the story.

A cozy mystery perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke, this edition includes 5 delicious maple recipes for mystery readers with a sweet tooth!

This is the first volume in the “Maple Syrup Mysteries” series.

[hula-zombie]

[school bus stopping]

Opal Bean: Dad! You’re home!

[miraculouscontent]

what happened with optigami??

Ugh happened.

- Episode begins with Nathalie in bed with a screen in front of her, and Gabriel sitting next to her and watching. It's explained to the audience through Nathalie what she and Gabriel have been up to since "Miracle Queen," since they learned the heroes' identities. The screen shows each hero and their civilian self, and Nathalie created a sentimonster called Optigami (a mechanical butterfly - think Tippi from Super Paper Mario but edgy) with eyes that can appear on the wings that can possess any object and record what it sees, transmitting it back to Nathalie's screen) to reveal Ladybug's secrets. Optigami stalked the civilians, but they were just teenagers who "spent their time at school or activities outside of it" (thanks, Captain Obvious).

- It's said that Ladybug still entrusts the civilians with miraculouses, but has rules to prevent them from discovering her identity (Wayzz is also shown on camera despite kwami not being visible via technology; magic, I guess???). Optigami has tried to follow Ladybug, but hasn't managed to catch her. Nathalie considers the sentimonster useless, but Gabriel has an idea, pointing out the vulnerability of civilians returning the miraculouses and suggesting Optigami hide there. Gabriel makes a plan for all the holders to appear and to have a supervillain that Ladybug will need another hero to beat.

- Cut to Audrey shouting at someone about glitter when she gets a call from Gabriel, who talks about a fashion icon award from her magazine that she should give to his son. Audrey agrees to send invitations right away.

- Marinette is shown in her room, staring at her invitation with a big smile because Adrien is on it. Alya explains to the kwami that everyone is invited to the event where Adrien will get an award and that's why Marinette has been frozen staring at the invite for the past ten minutes. The kwami talk about being invited too since "everyone" is invited, and Marinette snaps out of her trance to deny them; no owner, no trips. Trixx argues that he can go because he has Alya, but Marinette reminds him that she (Marinette) has the miraculous. Trixx tells her to give Alya the fox permanently. Alya agrees with this decision, especially now that she knows she's Ladybug, but Marinette insists that it's too risky and that one of the rules she's sticking to is to not give out any miraculouses. Trixx turns away in a huff, arms crossed, while Alya assures that it's fine because it's Marinette's decision and they have to leave now anyway. Marinette snaps back into her fawning state, staring at the invitation again.

- The students show up at the event, specifically Marinette (the only one who makes no sense), Adrien (who's there for the award), Alya (Rena Rouge), Nino (Carapace), Kagami (Ryuko), Luka (Viperion), Kim (Roi Singe), and Max (Pegase). No other students showed up. While they're heading for the elevator, Nino and Alya are doing something on a tablet and do a special high-five in celebration. Kim also uses the stairs instead of the elevator, insisting he'll be faster and telling Max to time him. After he charges up, Alya slides up to Marinette and talks about the elevator being perfect to get close to her "secret crush." Marinette, who was literally fine a second ago, starts freaking out at the idea of her and Adrien accidentally touching, bracing herself against the elevator's frame when Alya tries to forcefully shove her inside. The elevator closes without her and Marinette sighs, telling Alya that she doesn't want to rush it.

- People are starting to sit down for the event and Alya and Nino are doing their high-five again (which Marinette smiles sadly at). Audrey is impatient and demands to start filming, but Alec isn't back yet. Meanwhile, Optigami flies in and goes into an Adrien picture to hide, which makes Nathalie's screen light up on top of her bed. Nathalie informs Shadow Moth via earpiece that Optigami is in place.

- Alec is in the restroom playing on his phone. Shadow Moth places an amok in his staff and makes a sentimonster that looks exactly like Alec. The real Alec comes out and is confused, then cowers at Shadow Moth and the sentimonster Alec. SentiAlec leaves the restroom, showing over-dramatic flair as he jumps on stage. A few people are thrown off, but Audrey doesn't care and just wants to get started.

- The filming officially begins and everyone is shown watching the event. SentiAlec is barely into his introduction before he starts openly trashing Audrey (such as calling her outdated), which shocks Audrey and briefly makes Chloe laugh until Chloe catches Audrey glaring at her. SentiAlec adds a comment about the award ceremony being rigged, then isn't phased when Audrey starts to say he's fired. He finishes the line for her in a question tone, saying it's too late anyway as Audrey has already made a fool of herself. Audrey, ashamed and humiliated, then gets akumatized by an akuma Shadow Moth sends.

- At the appearance of Style Queen, Marinette and Alya give each other a look. Alya whispers to Nino that they should prepare in case Ladybug needs them, so the two slip off while Marinette goes in the other direction. SentiAlec still insults Style Queen, then flees when Style Queen tries to shoot him, managing to escape. Style Queen goes to shoot Adrien, but her arm is cut by a chair that Kagami throws. Kagami yells at Adrien to run and Adrien stands there and cries out, "Kagami, no!" Style Queen then fires at Kagami, turning her into glitter, and only then do Adrien and Chloe bail. Nathalie then informs Shadow Moth that Kagami (Ryuko) has been eliminated, and Shadow Moth says that they need to find the others before Ladybug arrives. Optigami flies out of the Adrien picture to go searching.

- Adrien manages to slip into an elevator to transform, but before he can, Marinette slips into the same one to transform, both stopping and Marinette having to make an excuse for saying "Tik--". Adrien presses a button and claims he was about to get help and Marinette says he's wonderful, though corrects it to "brave." The elevator doors close and Marinette says that Ladybug will come while Adrien says that Chat Noir will come too, though they both look away nervously afterwards.

- Chloe, meanwhile, pops out from behind a table to tell Style Queen where Alec went. Style Queen reminds Chloe that she'd laughed at her, then goes to shoot her. Chloe uses Zoe as a shield, but the shot causes Chloe to turn into glitter anyway, just alongside Zoe instead of Chloe alone. Nathalie informs Shadow Moth that Chloe is eliminated, then tells Optigami to find the others.

- Max is leading people downstairs to the nearest exit. Nathalie sees it through Optigami and informs Shadow Moth, who informs Style Queen, who makes a tornado of glitter to surround the building, turning the building itself glitter-encrusted with Style Queen's mug on top. This movement apparently knocks out the elevator's power, which sends Adrien and Marinette stumbling to the floor. The people that Max had been trying to lead out are approached by Style Queen, who shoots all of them. Max is eliminated.

- Both Adrien and Marinette try to reach for the elevator's buttons at the same time, their hands touching. Marinette apologizes sheepishly, then tries one of the buttons, but to no avail. They try to pull open the door, but it doesn't work. Marinette is sure that Chat Noir will save them, and Chat Noir agrees nervously, but also brings up Ladybug as an option. Marinette then texts Alya to tell her that she's stuck in an elevator. Alya texts back to ask if she's with Adrien, adding a wink emoji. Marinette responds that--yes, she is, and Alya becomes nervous.

- At the same time, Nino gets a text from Adrien that he's stuck in an elevator with Marinette. Nino thinks it's cool and Alya laughs nervously, pretending to agree. Alya asks Marinette over text how she's going to make this work, and Marinette says that she has a plan but needs to be alone. Alya tries to split from Nino, insisting that she'll give Ladybug a signal that they're there, but Nino wants to go with her. Alya insists, saying that it'll be better that they not get shot as a group, but Nino gives her the lovey dovey eyes and says that he won't let her do it by herself. Alya relents, but says that she has to go somewhere first ("if you know what I mean"), kissing Nino's cheek and then running off.

- SentiAlec returns and Shadow Moth gets rid of him. The real Alec escapes and smacktalks Shadow Moth when he's out of earshot, but Style Queen promptly shoots him. Shadow Moth then tells Style Queen that people are trying to escape into the events, so Style Queen turns into glitter and goes through, finding Luka (who's leading Mayhem carefully through the vents) and turning both of them to glitter, eliminating Luka Couffaine. This leaves three left: Kim, Alya, and Nino.

- Marinette calls the kwami using her phone, as there's a mini cell phone inside the Miracle Box. They all answer at once, which shocks Marinette as she throws the phone in shock, embarrassing her in front of Adrien asks who it is and Marinette makes a hurried excuse about talking to the fire department. She proceeds to act like she's really talking to said department, explaining the situation. Longg says that they're on their way and Marinette hurries to reject the idea, arguing that "helicopters (flying) are bad for the environment." She suggests "riding a horse" instead, and her voice is heard through the elevator and Style Queen picks it up, following after the voice. Optigami also possesses the elevator and spots Adrien and Marinette, with Marinette still repeating the horse comment, which finally makes the kwami realize that she means Kaalki. She's huffy about it, claiming that she's a noble steed - not a horse - and Marinette must mean Fluff. Sass agrees, as apparently horses and rabbits had a common ancestor. Fluff cheerfully talks about going to prehistory and Marinette shouts to deny it, grinning weakly at Adrien for how ridiculous she must sound. Adrien then notices the pair of eyes watching them and ushers Marinette away, shushing her. Marinette notices what Adrien does and ends the call.

- Style Queen opens the elevator doors and looks down at the elevator shaft to where Marinette and Adrien are. Marinette touches her miraculous anxiously and Adrien stares at his ring, internally debating with himself. They both turn at the same time, saying they have something to tell the other, but Nathalie notes that Optigami is only seeing Adrien together with Marinette, who isn't on their list. Shadow Moth discourages Style Queen from going after the elevator and Optigami leaves.

- Adrien sighs in relief, then asks Marinette what she wanted to tell him. Marinette insists it's nothing, asking what he wanted to say, and Adrien claims that he was just wondering what the eyes were. Marinette says she doesn't know, but that they should stay hiding and she'll text Alya to get help. Kim, meanwhile, has just gotten up the stairway, asking if he's won, and Style Queen happens to be right there, shooting him on the spot and eliminating him.

- Marinette sends Alya the kwamis' number and Alya calls it, hearing Trixx complaining on the other line about how Marinette should've let him come. At the same time, Alya gets a call from Nino that she has to reject, which worries Nino enough for him to try and slip up. Optigami happens to be in the extremely specific room and spot to see Nino, which Nathalie informs Shadow Moth of. Style Queen swoops by, turning Nino to glitter, and Shadow Moth gets an idea, making a SentiNino to lure out Alya.

- Alya is running down the stairs when she hears Nino calling her. At the same time, Kaalki pops in through a portal and encourages Alya to jump through. Alya runs in and the portal closes behind her, then she asks Kaalki about kwami using their powers without a holder and that leading to chaos. Kaalki insists that she never causes chaos - only contributes to the extraordinary - and the scene jumpcuts to the Eiffel Tower in the desert.

- Alya gets a text from Marinette, telling her to bring the bee miraculous. Alya taps in the code for the Miracle Box, then takes out the fox and bee. She transforms into Rena Rouge and makes an illusion of Ladybug to keep Style Queen busy, but hesitates as she looks back at the Miracle Box. She pulls out the turtle and Longg questions if Marinette asked her to do that, to which Alya insists that it's a precaution. Kaalki makes another portal and Rena runs through with both Kaalki and Ladybug, the scene jumpcutting to a gate-esque monument on the moon.

- Rena and Ladybug split up, but Rena stops when she hears Nino calling her. Optigami possesses the wall as Rena runs up to "Nino" (SentiNino) and shushes him. Nathalie informs Shadow Moth that Alya is already transformed and has a kwami with her, which shocks Shadow Moth (idk why Shadow Moth can't see that since it's his sentimonster but I've also given up on making sense of this episode at this point).

- Rena gives SentiNino the turtle miraculous. Shadow Moth, through SentiNino, asks why he's receiving it from Rena, and Rena explains that she's doing it for Ladybug while Ladybug defeats Shadow Moth. She tells SentiNino to transform and help her, then runs off. Nathalie mutters about how the only people who've given out miraculouses before were Ladybug and Chat Noir until now, and Shadow Moth deduces that Alya isn't an ordinary holder. Either way, he's not concerned about their plan, having SentiNino transform using the turtle. Optigami merges with the miraculous as well and SentiCarapace runs off.

- SentiCarapace enters the room where MirageLadybug is fighting Style Queen. Shadow Moth monologues (through SentiCarapace for some reason but no one can hear him anyway I guess) a bit about his victory and Ladybug having no idea what's about to happen, and then the scene cuts to Rena Rouge entering the elevator Adrien and Marinette are in via Kaalki.

- Rena Rouge explains that Ladybug sent her, then has Kaalki make another portal. Rena takes Adrien first, which allows Marinette to be alone. Tikki congratulates her on the idea and Marinette thanks her before transforming. Rena Rouge, meanwhile, drops Adrien off on a rooftop and tells him that she'll come back for him later. After she's gone, Adrien talks to Plagg about it being hard to get back into the building. Plagg suggests they go home and Adrien insists they can't yet. He transforms.

- Rena re-enters the elevator through another portal, promptly high-fiving Ladybug. Rena and Kaalki boast about the great job they've done, and Ladybug nervously asks how many times Kaalki's used her power. Kaalki admits she's used it a couple of times and Ladybug laments all the catastrophes that must've happened. The scene jumpcuts to a trail sinking into the ocean and a skyscraper sinking into a volcano, plus many more objects on the moon.

- Ladybug says that they can't waste more time. She puts on the bee and unifies, then the scene jumpcuts to the two suddenly in the room where Style Queen is fighting MirageLadybug. LadyBee congratulates Rena on her good job, then notices SentiCarapace on the other side of the room. She looks confused and Rena sheepishly suggests that they can never have enough help. LadyBee squints at her, but admits that she was right and Carapace will be very helpful. Rena slumps in relief.

- LadyBee spawns Lucky Charm and gets a compact mirror (same lucky charm as in "Pixelator," for reference). However, she doesn't notice anything inherently useful, and notes that she can defeat Style Queen without her lucky charm. She shrugs it off, since it doesn't matter how they defeat Style Queen, and just tells Rena to end her illusion. Rena has MirageLadybug hide behind a table, which Style Queen shoots and groans as she realize that Ladybug isn’t there.

- LadyBee goes up behind SentiCarapace, surprising him as she tells him that she needs him to protect her. Shadow Moth has SentiCarapace agree, then monologues to himself and "talks to LadyBee" (not really, he's just being a weirdo) about how he won't tell Style Queen anything and how nothing will stop him from winning.

- LadyBee goes in to attack Style Queen with Venom, ducking under tables and doing various maneuvers before jumping up in the air. Style Queen fires, but SentiCarapace protects her with Shellter long enough for LadyBee to fall within range. SentiCarapace drops Shellter just in time for LadyBee to stab Style Queen. She divides Pollen away, then breaks the objects and purifies the akuma. Style Queen de-akumatizes and Audrey looks at Ladybug, confused. Chat Noir is outside, about to Cataclysm the building, when the glitter effect vanished. Puzzled, Chat Noir awkwardly opens the door and runs inside.

- Audrey echoes Chloe's "ridiculous, utterly ridiculous" line as she walks off, and Ladybug sneaks the magical charm onto Audrey's hat. Chat Noir arrives at the scene and sees Ladybug, Rena, and Carapace, asking how they got in. Kaalki greets him and Ladybug apologizes, saying that she would've gotten him had she known his identity. He's not bothered and takes the opportunity to flirt. She banters back, then has to leave to get Rena's and Carapace's miraculouses. She tells Chat Noir to wait there, which he does.

- The three go to the roof and Rena comments on how easy it was to defeat Style Queen. Shadow Moth, through SentiCarapace, says that it's because she has good partners. They fist-bump, at which point Carapace and Rena de-transform. The two return their miraculouses and Ladybug notes that she didn't have to use her Lucky Charm, still finding it weird as she usually manages to defeat the villain with it. Shadow Moth, meanwhile, is ready for his place to go down.

- Ladybug presumes that she just needs the lucky charm to fix everything, then turns around while staring at the open compact mirror. Through the mirror, she sees Alya offer SentiNino a high-five, which he looks put off by before giving her a regular high-five in return (no, Alya doesn't react to this). Ladybug remembers their secret high-five from earlier, then turns and suddenly says that they have to be even more careful from now on. She reminds them that Shadow Moth knows the identity of some of the holders and is obviously using that information. She asks if that's right, getting in SentiNino's face and calling him Shadow Moth. She apologizes to Alya and explains that the Nino in front of them is a sentimonster. Nathalie insists that it's impossible for Ladybug to know and Shadow Moth wonders how she found out.

- Alya staggers back and collapses to her knees in shock, and Ladybug hurries off the room to yoyo herself into the room where Chat Noir is, where he's found eating a cookie. Ladybug tells him to detroy the object in her hand, but Chat notes that it's a miraculous. She tells him to trust her and Chat destroys it (since he never used his still-ready Cataclysm from earlier), which Optigami is forced out of. Nathalie gets a strong headache from this and Shadow Moth punches a restroom door in anger, monologuing about how he'll win one day and that SentiNino isn't needed anymore. He snaps his fingers and both SentiNino and Optigami disappear.

- Ladybug uses Miraculous Ladybug then, which fixes everything including the miraculous (weirdly, they only show Max and Kagami being restored; screw Luka and Kim I guess??). Nino also shows up on the roof to see Alya (no, I don't know how he knew she was there) to hug her, and Alya smiles before hugging back.

- Chat Noir and Ladybug hop a large distance away and Chat asks her how she knew there was a sentimonster in the miraculous. Ladybug thanks her lucky charm for it and says that it always shows her the right way (*shudders at "Chat Blanc" flashbacks*) even though she was briefly led astray. Chat Noir just hums in serious thought.

- Later, in Marinette's room, Alya laments that Shadow Moth almost demasked Ladybug because of her. She also admits that she shouldn't have taken Nino's miraculous. Marinette says that she's right - she did make a mistake - which is why she has to make a difficult decision. She tells Alya that the most important thing is to learn from one's mistakes, and thus she herself learned that she needs an ally to replace her if something ever happens. She takes Alya's hand, then puts the fox miraculous inside, closing Alya's fingers over it as she tells Alya to keep the miraculous with her at all times. Marinette adds that she'll also tell Alya everything she knows, and the two hug as Trixx brags to the other kwami that he's always right even when he's not.

- The episode seems to end at first, but then there’s a post-endcard scene where Gabriel sits on Nathalie’s bed and admits that they don’t know their enemies as well as they think. He notes that Alya seems to have a special position now that Ladybug is guardian, and talks about getting to know her better. The episode ends there.

[ariel-seagull-wings]

TOP 12 SNOW WHITE PORTRAYALS

@princesssarisa​ @superkingofpriderock​ @sunlit-music​ @mademoiselle-princesse​ @amalthea9​ @theancientvaleofsoulmaking​ @astrangechoiceoffavourites​ 

Lips red as blood. Skin white as snow. Hair black as ebony. The fairest woman of all.

Snow White is one of the most iconic fairy tale characters ever created. And also  one of the hardest to portray. This happens because, the story is less about her as a person, and more about following her exploration of the world and how this world reacts to her. The tale calls her a princess, but really she is more meant to be a common everygirl for a variety of readers and audiences to see themselves in. So the greatest challenge to portray the character becomes how to make at the same time universally relatable, and an individual character, and today, i’d like to share my favorite portrayals, that camed closer in acomplishing this goal.

12º Laura Berlin in Sechs Auf Einen Streich (2009)

Berlin’s Snow White acts as an outgoing, playfull young lady who deep down is trying to deal with the longing for her dead mother. And then, her father marries a new, vain and cruel woman, and sayed woman orders that the portrait of the previous queen be trown out, wich obviously makes the princess verbally snap against her father weak-willed and her tyranical stepmother. And then her father has a stroke and her stepmother orders her death. Here is a young lady in an emotinal turmoil and distress, wich makes her very relatable to audiences.

11º Nicola Stapleton and Sarah Paterson in Canon Movie Tales: Snow White (1987)

One of the first times that we see the fair princess explicitly growing up from child to young adult. Nicola Stapleton is probably more charismatic as child! Snow White, having more time on scene where she gets to sing with her father, explore the room where her stepmother keeps the magic mirror, until finally having to run trough the woods and meeting the dwarfs, but Sarah Paterson also makes adult! Snow White likable, singing about her desire to someday leave the dwarfs house because she is growing and may need her own space, and showing the doubt between fear and curiosity in her interactions with her disguised stepmother. This highlights more the themes of coming of age and confronting ones fears from the tale.

10º Yuri Amano/Donatella Fanfani/Eileen Stevens in The Legend of Snow White (1994)

In this italian-japanese coproduced anime, the twelve year old Snow White is an inquisitive, merry and kind girl, that has to adapt to a more scary reality when she has to run away from the castle to not be killed. At the dwarfs house, where she is so hungry and tired she takes all bread from a basket and sleeps for hours, she decides to give her hazelnuts and try to do shores to compensate for entering the house and eating the bread. Unfortunally, being a princess who lived in comfort all her life, she fails hard when she tries to do domestic shores, burning bread and cutting lettuce that she tought were garden plagues. But she is so sweet and kind, that it doesn’t matter. Conquering the affection of people for who she is, and not for what she can do in exchange, is the greatest strenght of this encarnation.

09º Elizabeth McGovern in Faerie Tale Theatre (1984)

A lonely girl who just wants some atention and love. Those are the characteristics that McGovern’s Snow White extablishes for herself in her first appearance, trying to impress her stepmother with juggling tricks learned with the Court Jester. Later, in the forest, when she is about to be stabbed, she prays to God for the soul of the Huntsman who is about to kill her, and to her surprise this act of kindness is what changes the Huntsman’s heart and convinces him to spare her life. In the woods she finds the dwarfs cottage, and can finally have friends to talk about things like her nostalgia for swiming in the castle moat/pit. She won’t feel alone again. 

08º Kristin Kreuk in Snow White: The Fairest of them All (2001)

In this Hallmark TV Movie, Kreuk gives a 16 year old Snow White who searches friendship in garden gnomes. In a way, she expands the theme of loneliness explored by McGovern, and goes deeper about it, relating sayed loneliness with beauty: she is an awkward and melancholic person, who feels that people only care with her pretty appearance, but don’t actually come close to truly meet her as a person. In a lesser hand, this idea of a person who thinks being considered beautifull is hard could sound absurd and over dramatic, but the screenwriters and Kreuk’s sincere performance make it a compelling dilema.

07º Natalie Minko in Schneewitchen (1992)

An energetic fifteen year old, who likes to run around to play with the Court Jester, and mess up the kitchen while doing pancakes that glue in the ceiling. Minko’s Snow White is one of the few Snow White’s who is allowed to act as a normal teenager: she makes messes, she sometimes verbally fights with people, she constantly questions the adults around her, all the wille still being a genuinelly kind hearted person pursuing the path of truth.

06º Tamara Rojo in Emilio Aragon’s Blancanieves (2005)

I loved watching the DVD of this ballet production over and over as a kid. Trough dance movements, Tamara Rojo gives us a gracious and fun princess. Whetever she goes, a party will always start.

05º Adriana Caselotti in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

My first portrayal of Snow White. The Disney version was raised working as a palace scullery maid, wich her stepmother hoped would make her ugly. But that didn’t work. She grows beautifull in body and soul: her singing voice is so sweet it is enough to make a dashing Prince fall in love with her, the animals are always engaged by her joyfull and sassy conversations, and she has a firm way of talking that assures a position of leadership among both the animals and the dwarfs who later befriend her. Really, she is awesome. What can i say about her that hasn’t been sayed already?

04º Marguerite Clark in Snow White (1916)

The version that inspired Walt Disney to make his version. Based on a 1912 stage play, this is the version that extablished being raised as a palace scullery maid as the reason Snow White is good with domestic tasks despite being a rich princess. Clark’s Snow White is also compassionate, sweet, romantic and dreamy, and she mix those qualities with some energy and spunkiness, being an almost wild girl.

03º Carol Heiss in Snow White and The Three Stooges (1961)

The sass, spunkiness and sweet romanticism are back, but with a new adition: an athletic hobby. Carol Heiss was originally a golden medal winner olimpic ice skater, and this movie was made to capitalize in her popularity at the time (along with reviving the Three Stooges popularity). So, we extablish in this version that the heroine who is linked to the snow loves the winter, and one of the most popular sports in this season. No other version before or after that did this, even tough its the most obvious and most awesome thing to do with the character. Ad to that the (uncredited) singing voice dubbed by Norma Zimmer, and you have one of the most complete portrayals of Snow White: she is beauty, she is grace, she can sing, she can cook and she can ice skate. She is the most interesting woman that ever lived.

02º Sakiko Tamagawa/Julie Maddalena in Grimm’s Fairy Tale Classics (1989)

Orphaned from her mother at birth and having a father who is always too busy rulling the kingdom to pay attention to her, this version of Snow White grows up raised by a nurse named Doris, and playing on the garden with a young boy named Klaus. Her favorite pass time is to climb trees to pick apples, her favorite fruit. But one day her stepmother, who for years has been ignoring her, calls the princess to her chamber, and asks if she thinks herself to be most beautifull than the Queen. Annoyed with the absurd of the question, Snow White calls her stepmother out in her vanity. What follows is her running away, having to survive as a fugitive. Getting lost from her Klaus and stumbling in a root, she crawls for her life, until being saved by the seven dwarfs and their wolf friends. Time passes, and she finds a bit of fullfilment while slowly learning to do domestic chores to help the dwarfs, and finding friendship in the wolfs and a giant black bear. But she still craves to reunite with her friend Klaus and to find some love, while the Queen’s menace lures in the air.

And now the moment everyone was expecting... My number one favorite portrayal of Snow White is:

01º Camryn Manhein in The 10th Kingdom (2000)

I know what are you thinking: “Wait, a two episode cameo in a tv minisseries, instead of a protagonist, this is your favorite”? Yes. Yes, she is. In the Hallmark minisseries The 10th Kingdom, a young lady from the real world comes to the magical world to help to disenchant a Prince that has been turned into a dog. This dog prince is Snow White’s grandson. And then the heroes arrive at the Dragon Mountain in the 09th Kingdom, and Virginia has a conversation with the spirit of the late Snow White for counsel. And Snow White counsels Virginia by simply telling her story of once being an afrayed, lonely lost girl in the woods, finding new friends in the dwarfs, suffering three murder attempts from her stepmother, being aesleep for years with the poisoned apple in her troat, until the Prince’s servants stumbled with her casket so she could trow away the apple piece, so she could finally live happily ever after. While she narrates the tale, she says that she knew the danger presented by the ribbons, the comb and the apple, but she also knew that she could hide in the dwarfs cottage, afrayed to be hurt, forever. And her husband was a good man, but she saved herself from death. With that dialogue, Manheim’s sensitive and wise Snow White ressignified the fairy tale for me, making me appreciate better the story and her character. And that is why she my number one portrayal of the fairest princess of all.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Elke Arendt in Schneewitchen (1955), Maresa Hörbiger in Schneewitchen (1971) and Elaine Bilstad as White Snow in Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1995).

[villainousshakespeare]

Putting It Back Together Chapter 1

Adam/OFC

Rated M (will probably change to E) - Grief, angst, eventual smut, mention of characters dead before the start of the story

Summary: Since the death of his beloved Eve, Adam had been barely living, only alive due to a promise he made to her. Then one night he meets his new neighbor, a woman dealing with grief of her own. Will they help each other heal or drive each other crazy?

@yespolkadotkitty @just-the-hiddles @hopelessromanticspoonie @wine-and-whines @arch-venus25 @caffiend-queen @devilish–doll @enchantedbyhiddles @hiddlesholic @i-do-not-fangirl-i-fanwoman @kellatron55 @ladyoftheteaandblood @latent-thoughts @gorgeous1974 @maryxglz @myoxisbroken @nuggsmum @nildespirandum @pedeka @redfoxwritesstuff @sinfully-lustful-darling @vodka-and-some-sass @wrathkitty @kingtwhiddleston @wolfsmom1​ @poetic-fiasco​ @shiningloki​ @dangertoozmanykids101​ @bookworm-christina​ @thecutestlittlebunbunfairy​ @amwolowicz​ @delightfulheartdream​ @frostbitten-written​ @what-a-flammable-heart​ @tom-hlover​ @nonsensicalobsessions​

So I decided to take a crack at Adam. The plan is to have this be around 10 chapters, but that is just a guess at the moment. It starts a little angsty, but will lighten up as it goes along. Hope you enjoy!

If you would like on or off the tag list, please let me know!

It was more of a mist than a drizzle adding chill to the late autumn air as he walk through the dark streets. Even this time of night there were noises of fellow wanders, zombies he was sure, but he managed to keep from the streets where they roamed. The last thing he needed was to be confronted with the mindlessness of what passed for humanity in these times.

That was the trade off of life in the city. The need to constantly dodge others was barely offset by the convenience of shops open late and services not bound by the constraints of daylight. Not that Adam needed many services of others. He was in most ways self sufficient. He had worked for centuries to make it so. With but two exceptions - sustenance and music - he had only ever needed one soul besides his own.  

She was gone now, his Eve. Eleven years had passed since she had taken a glass of tainted blood in Tangier. It seemed like yesterday, it seemed like a lifetime. He wished it were his lifetime. Only a promise dragged out of him at her death bead had kept him from following her into oblivion. She had used every trick she possessed, every weakness she knew in him, to get him to agree to her demand, and now he was trapped, bound by a promise to another century on this blighted earth. Eighty-nine more revolutions until he could use the wooden bullet that lay heavy in breast pocket and end his grief.

He had wandered after she left him. Angry and bitter, he had left Africa and roved across the globe. Everywhere he went, though, there were memories. He saw her everywhere in Europe. The Middle East was littered with memories. Even South America echoed a life spent together.

Finally he had come back to America. She had not spent as much time in the States. It was easier here. He had considered Seattle, New Orleans, Memphis, the various musical centers of the country, but in the end New York had drawn him in. Strange, he had never spent much time here. Too many zombies too close together. And yet, he could not deny it had definite advantages, and for the most part no one paid any attention to what anyone else did.

He arrived at last at the brownstone in the East Village where he lived his weary life. He was excited, or at least as excited as he was capable of these days, to test out the Rickenbacker bass guitar that he had stumbled upon in a pawn shop. The owner had no idea how rare the model was, and had not known how to react to the large roll of cash that Adam had thrust at him for the  instrument.

Quickly shucking his black leather jacket, Adam took out he new prize and lovingly stroked the light grained wood. He could feel the decades of music that it had produced still reverberating through the body. He flicked a series of toggles and buttons to power up his sound system and plugged the Rickenbacker in. Closing his eyes he placed his fingers firmly on the frets and plucked out a rapid series of low notes, loving the reverberation and full tones it produced. Just as he began to segue into an actual song, however, a loud bang sounded and the lights, sound, and all other electronic power went dead.

"Shit!" he spit out, mood collapsing back in on itself as quickly as it had risen.

Setting the bass gently back in its case despite his irritation, Adam fumbled through his belongings until he located his tool box. After attaching his head torch and grabbing a second flash light just in case, he made his way down the hall to the ladder that lead up through a hatch onto the roof where a small shed held the electric box for his home.

"Just what I fucking need," he muttered, pulling himself onto the tarred surface.

He was just picking his tools back up when a loud creaking noise drew his attention. Just a few feet away, a second hatch door had opened, and a shape was pulling itself up and onto the roof with some difficulty, judging by the swearing. Adam watched in dismay as the shape unfolded itself to reveal a woman silhouetted against the half moon. She had a large, over bright flashlight in her hands that waved back and forth as she made her way to the shed that was his own destination.

"Who are you?" he asked, intercepting her before she could reach the structure.

"Ohmyfuckinggod!" she cried out, jumping almost a foot as he appeared in front of her.

Adam crossed his arms and waited silently for her to calm down, mouth drawn down into a habitual scowl.

"You scared me half to death!" she told him needlessly when she had regained some of her composure.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Oh, you know, just signaling Batman that evil is afoot," she said dryly, waving her oversized lamp back and forth.

Adam continued to stare at her, unamused, until she sighed and gave him a real answer.

"I'm checking out the fuse box. Are you from 89? You must be, I guess. So your lights are out too? It doesn't look like it's the whole block, just our two buildings. Hopefully flipping the switch will bring them back on."

"There's no need for you to trouble yourself," he told her when she finally stopped talking. "I have things well in hand. The power should be on shortly."

"Great," she said with a forced smile.

She didn't move. Why was she still standing there? Adam glowered at her, hoping to scare her off, but the brainless girl just stood there.

"Did you need something else?" he asked reluctantly.

"No, just the one thing," she replied, blinking at him. "Shall we get to it?"

"This will hardly take two," he ground out. "And I know how the system works."

He should! He had redone the entire wiring himself. The convoluted system of shorting wires and faulty circuits had been a travesty when he moved in. It had taken him almost a month to tear it out and build a more streamlined, efficient energy grid. The only problem now was when he forgot himself and pulled too much power for the subpar wiring in the wall to take. He had considered redoing that as well, but it would take time and draw attention, which he was keen on avoiding.

"Wonderful, then you can show me," she chirped at him. "After all, you may not be here the next time it goes off, and then I won't know how it works."

She was not going to let this go, he could tell from the deceptively stubborn set of her shoulders. With a roll of his eyes that he doubted her human eyes could catch in the darkness, he turned on his heel and walked over to the shed. Let her look at it, he decided. It was not like she would understand what he had done anyway.

"Woah," the nattering woman whistled as he opened the door. "That is not what I was expecting at all! It looks like some form of microhydraulics, but there's no way you could have a water source up here. What are you using?"

Adam turned and stared at her, really looking at her for the first time. She was short, even for a woman, not even coming up to his chin. Her hair was haphazardly tied into a bunch on the top of her head and looked like it would be bigger than she was if she were to let it down. The eyes she turned up towards him were inquisitive and sharp. She was pretty, he thought, for a zombie.

"How do you know about that?" he asked.

"I tinker," she said with a shrug. "When I'm anxious. Which is a lot of the time lately, to be honest. Too much energy. Sometimes it helps to take things apart an put them back together again."

Adam opened his mouth to respond, but realized he had no idea what he planned on saying. He closed it again and turned back to his contraption.

"Well, don't get any ideas about taking this apart," he grumbled, resetting the mechanism.

"No, I wouldn't," she assured him. "I only mess with my own things until I'm sure I can get them back the way they started. I learned that the hard way. This is really amazing. You are pulling in a boat load of energy. I just hope you don't burn the buildings down when it runs into the wiring. You're a musician, right? I've heard you practicing through the walls. I was so relieved you were good!"

Did this woman never stop talking? Despite his lack of response she seemed perfectly content to stand behind him, shining her flood light on the shed as he worked to get things running again.

"Oh! I see what you did there!" she commented brightly as the low hum of electricity started back up. "That should fix it. And I'm pretty sure I will be able to do that myself next time too!"

"Don't," he ordered, shutting the door with a loud clang. "If there is any problem with the power, I will fix it. I don't need someone else ruining my work."

"But if you're not here?" she repeated doggedly.

"Look, this has never been an issue before, why are you suddenly on my case about it now?"

"I didn't live here before," she answered. "I just moved in last week. This... this was my Grandmother's home. She died. Last week. I'm trying to sort it all now but..."

The light from his headtorch clearly lit up the tears that sprang to her eyes. As Adam stood there in horror, the girl's chin began to wobble and silent sobs hiccupped through her body. A moment later she had burst out crying. Adam, unable to think of anything else to do, slowly and gingerly put one arm around her shaking shoulders and patted her lamely on the back, wishing he could be anywhere else in the world.

***

Lilly woke up completely horrified. It had been a dream, she told herself. It had to have been a dream. That was the only way she was going to survive the events of the night before.

The soreness in her eyes and the streaks of mascara on the backs of her hands, unfortunately, told her the sad truth. It had been real. She had met her dark, handsome, mysterious neighbor, the one who played dark, mysterious music at all hours of the night, on a dark, mysterious rooftop. (Well, okay, maybe the rooftop hadn't been that mysterious, but still!) And what had she done? She had wept all over him like pathetic child.

This, she sighed to herself, was one of the many many reasons why she was single. Any normal girl would have played the damsel in distress, fluttered their eyes and let him be their hero. He certainly had the looks of a brooding hero, even if he seemed to lack the inclination. Of course, it might just be that he lacked the inclination because she had yammered on about anxiety and tinkering, and her grandmother's death and the cried all over him.

Groaning, she rolled over and looked at her clock, only to be greeted by blinking numbers. Of course. She had been too upset when he had finally managed to steer her back to her roof hatch and rid himself of her, lost in a combination of grief and humiliation, to reset it. Great. That meant that the alarm had never gone off. It could be any time now. A quick glance at her phone confirmed her fear. 4:00 in the afternoon. It had happened. She had become completely nocturnal.

Slowly dragging herself up, Lilly staggered to the bathroom and tried to let the hot water wash away her misery. She was tired of feeling miserable. By nature she was not a gloomy person. Anxious, yes, but not gloomy. It was just being here, in the house that once was her happy place but now held too many memories. All she could see where ever she looked was her beloved grandmother. Playing the piano, reading in the window nook, cooking in the large, renovated kitchen. Grandma Lillian was everywhere.

Growing up, Lilly had been an awkward child; small of body but big of personality Gran had said. She was always moving, either her hands or her mouth, having a hard time with stillness. It drove many people to distraction. Grandma Lillian, however, had stated quite matter of factly that she simply had a lot to do and more to say, and therefore needed to do it quickly.

Lilly had spent all of her summers and school vacations here, escaping into the city. Here, she could be herself. With all of the characters in New York City, she was far from the oddest. Grandma Lillian let her patter away happily, always taking her words seriously. She had also found all sorts of mechanical things for Lilly to tinker with, focusing her energy in a more productive direction. It was nonsense, she had opined, that girls were not encouraged more to go into the technical fields. Obviously that was the reason why nothing in this world ran properly.

She had hidden her illness from the family, from Lilly, until the very end. Lilly cursed herself that she had not seen through the excuses for the cancelled visits. A seniors cruise with her girlfriends! She could not imagine the opinionated woman stuck on a boat without someone going overboard. It wasn't until the very end, when she was had been taken to Hospice, that she had phoned Lillian to let her know that it was time to come and visit.

That was eight days ago. Lillian had held her hand at the end, singing in her tear choked voice the torch songs that her Grandmother had once made her living crooning in the night clubs of the city. It had not taken long. Less than a day and Lilly was alone, the owner of a house in the East Village and more money than she had ever imagined possessing, but much the poorer regardless.

The ensuing week was spent puttering around the brownstone, listlessly going through desks and dressers, boxes and cupboards. The memorabilia of a lifetime squirreled away into any available space. She had no need to work at the moment, which was good since she had no employment. Slowly but surely her own night owl tendencies had taken over and she was staying up until the sun streaked the horizon in the morning, only to bed down for the majority of the day. Her parents had always fretted and said it was a sign of depression. Gran had shrugged and agreed that the most exciting things happened at night.

The only excitement Lillian had experienced thus far had been the discovery that a new owner was in residence next door. For as long as she could remember there had been a constant stream of college and conservatory students renting out rooms in the building, turning over each year to the newest crop. Now though, there was one lodger only and he owned the building.

She had caught sight of him out the front window as he was leaving her second night there. Long, wild black hair that looked in want of brushing, black leather jacket, and black jeans that might have been painted on. He was tall, lean, and somehow dangerous looking. It was the way he walked, she decided. There was something almost feral in the swagger as he took off down the street. The next night she had heard him playing music.

At first she thought there were multiple musicians, but after hours spent guiltlessly eavesdropping she became convinced that it was only him. Interspersed with guitars, drums, bass, and other instruments that she couldn't name had come his voice, a distinctive low growl that cut through her sorrow to go straight to her core. She could feel the vibrations of his voice as surely as she heard the bass thumping through the walls.

She began haunting the window overlooking their stoops, hoping for sight of him. She caught glimpses a time or two, always late at night, well after dark. Rather he was coming in or going out, he seemed to eschew the daylight even more than she did. Lilly felt drawn to him, and by more than just his untamed beauty. She supposed she could write it off as one of her hyper-fixations, but intuitively she sensed it was more. She longed for an excuse to meet him.

And then she had. At night, on a roof, under a bright moon.

It would have been perfectly romantic, were she not dressed in a ratty sweatshirt and yoga pants, her hair flopped up any old way on her head. If her first words to him were not gasped out in a shriek, followed by thoughtless prattle. And the, the coup de gras, her sobbing breakdown. The look of unmixed horror on his face as he made his feeble attempt to calm her was burned into Lilly's brain.

She had to get rid of it. There might only be one chance to make a first impression, but maybe, just maybe, a second impression could in time supersede it. Never one to sit on a thought, Lilly squared her shoulders. It was six o'clock, he was bound to still be in. She would pay him a visit and apologize for her horrid behavior.

Yes, that was the plan. After all, what was the worst that could happen? It was bound to go better than last time.

[airi-p4]

Kwami Christmas

For @quickspinner ‘s Month of Miracles, Day 16: kwami gifts

AO3 _______________________________

"Marinette! What do you want for Christmas? The kwamis want to give you something to show gratitude for how well you treat us" Tikki happily asked.

"Thank you, guys, but I don't need anything. Any material thing, at least" she sighed, sadly. "Thank you anyway. I'm happy to have you around”

Tikki wasn't content with her answer. She had been observing Marinette throughout the years, and she knew her well enough to know when she wasn't happy. And she hadn't been for a while. That's where the gift idea came from, anyway. But… what would make her the happiest?

Tikki entered the Miraculous box and called for a kwami assembly. With Sass and Plagg with their respective owners, Tikki took the role of leader in the box.

"Guys. I need ideas for Marinette's Christmas present. What information have you gathered?" Tikki asked, hitting the improvised table (an empty roll of thread) with her hand.

"What about some cookies?" Mullo suggested. "She loves cookies!" The other kwamis raised their cheerful voices in agreement, but Tikki cut them short.

"No. We can't compete with her parents' cookies. We need something more special. Kaalki, any idea?"

"Let's give her kwami glitter. She'll be fabulous with it!"

"I doubt she would be happy with her body glowing in glitter forever, nor glowing in the dark. Any other ideas? Pollen?"

"What about a crown? She's our queen, isn't she?" 'yes, she is!’ The rest of kwamis responded.

"Mm… could work, but let's consider other ideas. Ziggy?"

"A magic comb! She'll be able to comb her hair without damaging it thanks to the magic!"

"Marinette's hair is already silky and beautiful, but we can add it to the list. Ok, next. Xuppu?"

"A banana tree! I love bananas! I bet she does too"

"Discarded.” ‘Whyyyy’ Xuppu cried at Tikki's blunt rejection. “Trixx?"

“A flying carriage! Like in that story! She could travel anywhere if she had it, even to-"

"Wayzz?"

"What about something that warms her heart?"

Tikki's attention was caught for the first time since their assembly started. "That sounds right. Any idea of what could that be?"

"Hot chocolate? Longg suggested.

"A kwami magic blanket?" Roarr added.

"A love potion?" Ziggy mentioned.

"Isn't that forbidden…?" The ox kwami said.

"Yes, it is." Tikki answered.

"Something made with love?" The rooster kwami said, earning the looks of the rest of the kwamis. "She's been so sad since that boy left Paris..."

"You mean Plagg's owner or-?" Fluff asked.

"That's right!" Tikki finally shouted, hitting the pseudo-table with her hands. "She's been longing for some love. She told me Adrien wasn't what she expected, that she regretted having chosen the wrong boy at that time"

"Do you think she still regrets it, even now?" The pig kwami asked.

"If this is about the blueberry boy, I would say she does" the fox kwami affirmed.

"How do you know that, Trixx?"

"Because I've seen her sighing at his photo before. Haven't you noticed? Her eyes filled with love and hurt. She even cried once"

"Oh, no! Poor Master Marinette!" "Let's help her!" "Yes, let's give her love!" the kwamis cried for their guardian.

"Guys… we can't change people's hearts, you know that…" Tikki said.

"What if he feels the same? It's been a long time but maybe…" Nooroo said.

"You're right! We have to contact Sass and-" Duusu exclaimed.

"We don't even know where he is… He left Paris, didn't he?" The dog kwami asked.

"Oh no…" "what can we do now…?" "Is there a way to contact him?"

"I have an idea. I can go to his sister, my previous owner. I'm sure she'll tell me" The tiger kwami suggested.

"Stop, Roarr. You know everyone has forgotten about the Miraculous. Except those who has used time-related ones, either Sass or Fluff"

"What about Alix, then? My previous owner?"

"Didn't she have a crush on the blueberry boy too? I don't think it's a good idea…" Longg dismissed Fluff’s idea.

The discussion followed for some minutes, but Tikki wasn't listening. She kept thinking what they could do to know if Luka's feelings remained the same. Sass’s kwami cycle was a few years further, but maybe, there could be another way. There had to! Tikki re-read the list:

Cookies

Magic glitter

Crown

A comb

Banana tree

Magic flying carriage

Hot chocolate

Magic blanket

Love

'Music' Tikki thought. Remembering how the blue boy used to play his guitar for her. Her eyes finally glowed in hope. "Guys. I think I've got it!" she exclaimed.

"Really!?" "Tell us!" "Woohoo!"

"I need a minute to check on something. I'll be right back!" And with these words, Tikki left the Miraculous box.

Outside, looking at her surroundings, she saw how Marinette had fallen asleep in her desk. She had her earphones on and trails of tears at the corners of her eyes. Tikki covered her with a blanket and took her earphone out to listen to the music. It was indeed Luka's song, the one he composed for her many years ago.

She then moved into her smartphone and searched for the boy's more recent songs. It had been 5 years since he had left, even more since they first met, but the tune under his songs, even if hidden and faint, remained the same to Tikki's experienced ears: Marinette's tune.

The discovery reassured her plans.

She entered the box again, ready to share her plans with her fellow kwamis.

"Guys! You know how kwamis can't be recorded, right? But that's not entirely true. We can listen to each other's voice recordings. I remember hearing Plagg through the phone before. It's not impossible"

"What's the plan?" Barkk asked.

"I want you to get what's on the list ready for Christmas. Can you do it?"

"Of course!" They all agreed, happily moving to their tasks.

"You'll have the best Christmas present ever, Marinette", Tikki said, kissing Marinette's cheek before secretly using her tablet to carry on with her plan.

_______________________________________________________

And just like that, Christmas arrived.

"Merry Christmas, Marinette!" The kwamis congratulated the guardian. Marinette giggled and answered back "Merry Christmas"

"We have some gifts for you!" Tikki exclaimed.

"Oh, guys, it wasn't necessary, you know? Thank you" she said, welcoming the presents.

"What's all this?" She blinked.

"Wear it!" they enthusiastically exclaimed.

Marinette put on a silver tiara with blue and pink diamonds, and the kwami magic blanket over her shoulders, like a cape. She then put some glitter on her dress and shoes. She looked like a princess.

"Wow! This is so pretty! I feel like Cinderella" she giggled. "Thank you very much"

“You’re welcome!” They said, Tikki signaling them. “We have something else for you”

“You do?” Marinette blinked again.

“You need to sleep first. Sorry Marinette” Tikki said, while Duusu cast some sleeping magic on her, putting her under sleep. “Time for the plan, everyone!” Tikki smiled, using Marinette’s phone to give a call to an old friend.

_____________________________________

Marinette could listen to some music. New music to her ears. It sounded like chants, coming from somewhere far. Far away. She opened her eyes to see she was on a deserted island with only a banana tree and some bushes on it. “Xuppu!” she heard a low voice complaining.

“Tikki?” she called. “Where am I? Is this a dream?”

Marinette felt like crying at noticing her surroundings: alone on a deserted island, in the dark night, just as if she was inside her own lonely heart. She curled to hug her knees as soft whimpers left her throat. ‘This is the worst Christmas ever…’ she whispered between hiccups.

All of a sudden, she heard some water splashing and saw something coming from the sea. She wasn’t sure what, but it was getting close. She was afraid it was a shark, but instead, she soon realized it was a tiny boat. “Help!” she screamed and waved, and it wasn’t until the boat was almost at the coast that she realized who was on it.

“Luka?” she gasped. ‘Could this be true? This had to be a dream- no doubt’, she thought.

His surprised expression could match her own. Both of them were hesitant to take a step closer. ‘It had been five years. Why would they meet now?’ Marinette felt her stomach twirl at how sour destiny could be. Luka stayed silent, trying to understand what was going on. ‘Where was he? Why was Marinette there? What happened to Christmas?’ But everything lost its importance when he noticed the tears in her eyes.

“Marinette” he called, and her body reacted in a jolt. “What happened? Why are you crying?”

Marinette finally lifted her face to meet his blue eyes. Her glowing dress was, along with the moon, the only source of light. “Luka… Is- Is that really you…?” she asked.

“Yes, it’s me. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? What happened? Where are we? Don’t cry, please” he begged, taking a few steps closer.

“I- I don’t know… I woke up here all alone and it was all dark and lonely and Tikki and the kwamis disappeared and- This must be a dream, right? There’s no way this is real”

“Probably, yes. When I woke up I was on the boat, lost in the middle of the sea. Then I saw something glowing and I moved towards that direction, looking for the land. I didn’t expect you to be the one glowing...” he explained. “You look beautiful. Thank you for guiding me here, Marinette. I’m happy to see you”

“Luka!” she jumped to hug him. “I- I was so scared! I- I-”

“It’s ok, Marinette. I’m here now.  We can use the boat to-” Marinette’s grip tightened around him, and he immediately got worried. “Marinette…”

Luka hesitated. As much as he wanted to hold her, he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to. She had made her choice back at the time, and it hadn’t been him. ‘What claim could he have now, after years of an unreciprocated love he couldn’t move on from? Wasn’t it a dream, though? It had to be. Hasn’t he dreamed of her multiple times before? It didn’t need to be different now’, he convinced himself.

And he hugged her back, overthrowing all the piled up love he had for her. Marinette’s gasp was cut by her need for ask, enjoying the fantasy hug for as long as she could.

“Marinette…” he whispered again, close to her ear. In response, she pressed her body to his even closer, in need of contact. Their heartbeats were fast, in unison, and they stayed together until the chants from before alerted them.

“What’s this music?” Luka asked, giving her some space.

“I- I don’t know…” she answered, still clinging to his body.

“Should we go search for land? The boat must be- Oh, no. The boat is gone. Sorry Marinette” Luka apologized. “I should have brought it closer to the sand”

“It’s not your fault Luka. This… This sea is probably my heart. Meeting you here has just reminded me how much I regret the past, so the sea level increased. It’s not your fault. It’s mine”

“Is this… your heart? I thought it was mine… Your heart should be a happy sunny place. You deserve to be happy, not like me. What happened? What's here that darkens your heart so much?”

Marinette could only cry. ‘You’, she wanted to say. Would he believe her, though? If this was her dream, he would probably return her feelings, and when she wakes up, she would be sad and disappointed. She wasn’t sure if she should be enjoying this tiny happiness in the form of an illusion. Before she could say anything, a shooting star fell in front of their eyes. The stardust cleared up to transform into a magical flying carriage, similar to Cinderella’s.

“Now there’s no doubt this is a dream” Luka stated. “Why don’t we try to enjoy our time while we’re here, Cinderella? Just like old times…” He smiled at her but, instead of waiting for an answer, he lifted her light body and seated her in the carriage, getting on after her. “Let’s go”

A rainbow suddenly appeared as a road to guide them. Marinette was still unsure of how to cope with the fueling emotions going through her heart, while Luka kept looking at her from under his lashes in his usual loving eyes- the expression he only showed for Marinette.

“Luka” Marinette called. “Isn’t that the Liberty?” she pointed.

“What?” He reacted in surprise. “No way… It sank just before I moved, remember? The day you- rejected me.” His words felt like a stab in her heart. She had rejected him before, and that was her deepest regret in her life. “Let’s go see it. It’s a dream, after all”

The carriage stopped at the Liberty’s deck and Luka helped Marinette to step down from the flying vehicle. “Wow, so nostalgic… It’s exactly as I remember it. As expected of dreams. Are you cold?” He noticed her trembling and grabbed a blanket to cover her. “Here. Look. There’s some cookies and hot chocolate, too. Let me prepare you some. Wait here”

“NO!” Marinette shouted. “I- I’ll help!”

“Of course” Luka smiled. “Do you think we’ll remember this when we wake up?”

“I don’t know…” Marinette answered.

“I wish I could meet you like this when we’re back in the real world. I’ve missed you, Marinette. A lot more than you could imagine” Luka said, reaching for his favorite mug.

“STOP!” Marinette shouted loudly. Then, her eyes became sad and focused on the man in front of her. “How do you expect me to go back to the real world after this sweet dream? This is where I rejected you! This is where the moment I regret the most in my life occurred!”

Luka waited a few seconds in silence before he spoke again, making Marinette tensed up as she waited. “Why don’t you use this dream to fix your regret, then? Isn’t this what dreams are for? Tell me, Marinette. What do you regret?”

“I regret-” she started, but he cut her.

“I regret letting you go” he started, reaching for her hand. “I regret not trying harder to make your feelings turn to my direction. I regret leaving your side. I regret not having contacted you in all these years. I have so much regret I could never move on” He said, staring at her incredulous eyes. “I’ve never forgotten you, Marinette. You’ve always been the song in my head- even now”

Marinette felt like crying. Of course he would say kind words for her in a dream. Of course he would love her back in her sleeping palace. But she was happy. Why wouldn’t she? Seeing his relieved face gave the courage to speak up.

“I regret making the wrong choice. I regret rejecting you when you were obviously the right answer, the one for me.  I regret having noticed too late. I regret never telling you my feelings. I regret not being brave enough to contact you all this time. I regret not having kissed you… But- If this is a dream and I can fix that… I want to do it right this time…” Marinette moved closer to him and cupped his cheek. “I love you, Luka. My life can’t ever feel complete without you”

And before he could answer, she leaned for a kiss on his lips. A kiss he welcomed. The kiss he had been starving for for years. The kiss he always wished for but could never force on her. The only kiss that mattered to them.

And then, the clock marked midnight.

“I guess it’s time to wake up…” Marinette whispered, not wanting her sweet dreams to end. “I wish this magical dream would never end...”

“I love you, Marinette. More than anything.” Luka said, kissing her again. “Will you give me your shoe, Cinderella? Or maybe your heart?”

“I’ll give you my shoe. I can’t give you something that’s yours already” She kissed him again before holding her arms tight around his neck. “I don’t want to wake up”

“Me neither…” Luka mumbled, keeping her close. “Can I call you sometime? Even if you don’t remember this dream… Is it ok for me to miss you? To love you?”

“I’ll be more than happy to receive a call from you. I’ve been hoping for one for so long now…” Before Marinette could lean in for another kiss, the bells rang again. “I guess it’s time to go. Here. I’ll give you this. It's a magic comb I received from the kwamis. It has some kwami glitter on it, just like the one on my dress and shoes. A lucky charm for our next meeting…”

Marinette took one step behind, and then another. Their hands irremediably split, but not before Luka kissed one of them hissing a low ‘I love you’ to her. As she took another step behind, she could feel her heart warm up… and before she could notice, she opened her eyes: back in the real world.

She woke up with tears in her eyes, but a relief and warm feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time. “Luka…” she whispered.

“Marinette!” Tikki called. “How was your dream?”

“Tikki! Was this your doing? What have you done, you little trickster!” Marinette said, happily tickling the red kwami. “Thank you Tikki, I had the sweetest dream”

“That’s not all, Marinette!” Tikki exclaimed, and the rest of the kwamis approached with her phone. The screen showed an unknown room, but a familiar guitar on the table. ‘Could it be…?’ her heart rate increased in expectation.

“Sass? Could you explain to me what just happe-” he said, and noticed the phone screen. Luka blinked in confusion, looking at his hand and back to the screen. Then, he lifted his hand to show Marinette its contents: the magic comb. Marinette gasped and that was everything Luka needed as an answer: they had shared their dream.

“So… emm…. Hi! Long time- No, that’s not right. Tikki! What’s the meaning of this!? I need answers!” She screamed in embarrassment, making Luka laugh.

“It’s Christmas magic, Marinette! Our magic is stronger during Christmas. We wanted to give you a present that would warm up your heart! Did it work?”

“It did” Marinette said, aware that Luka couldn’t see or hear her kwami’s explanations. “Merry Christmas, Luka”

Marinette’s heart grew warmer with Luka’s smile. “Merry Christmas, Marientte”

After a long video call where they confirmed that what happened was actually real, they confirmed their feelings for each other and set up a date to meet again. When the call ended, Marinette spoke to the kwamis. “Thank you. Thanks to all of you, this is the best Christmas ever. I love you”

The kwamis reunited by her side for a collective hug. “Anything to make you happy” Tikki answered.

THE END

[mojofun]

Not My Type (Sirius Black x Reader)

Hello earthlings :) This is an entry for This is an entry for a writing challenge I’m taking part in, launched by the wonderful @obsessedwithrandomthings​ for getting 500 followers; congrats again :) The prompt I chose this time was <<You look so good in my shirt>>. I can just imagine our dear Sirius using lame one-liners when flirting with girls, and this is the result. P.S. I’ve been listening to Motionless in White lately, so this thing is packed with lyrics references. Besides, Sirius looks like the kind of guy who would totally dig that style of music so I thought “why not?” I hope you enjoy it!

Gif not mine, credits to @snuffles-padfoot07

<<Remus?>>

No answer

<<Remus. Remus Lupin>>

Still silence

<<Remus John Lupin>>

Still no reply

<<Moony. Moony, Moony, Moony->>

<<WHAT?!>> The taller Marauder ultimately snapped, turning to glare at his bespectacled friend; said friend acted like nothing happened, simply holding up a slip of paper

<<Do you think Lily will like it?>>

Sighing, Remus gave the poem a skim before rolling his eyes

<<Won’t you give the poor girl a moment of reprieve, James?>>

<<Cmon, help a friend in need!>>

<<Why me?>>

<<You always has a way with words>>

A snort came from the opposite side of the room

<<And yet, he still got no date>>

Remus scowled

<<Prongs, why don’t you ask Padfoot then? Merlin knows Y/N loves his idiotic pickup lines>>

Sirius acknowledged the hit, rising from his bed and walking toward his two mates with a strut. Once there, he took James’s poem and read it, nodding in approval

<<Go for it, pal>>

<<What about you, oh great master of poetry?>> Moony teased, still miffed about Sirius’s jab <<How will you annoy your muse today?>>

The shorter male chuckled, smirking mischievously

<<Don’t worry, Moony. I’m very well-prepared>>

<<That’s exactly what worries me>>

              _______

<<Y/N! Y/N!>>

Sirius greeted the H/C girl who’d just walked in the class with her friends. As soon as she saw him, she groaned

<<Oh no>>

<<Come sit by me!>>

Another H/N patted her back soothingly while she face-palmed

<<I think I already know what my boggart’s gonna look like>>

<<Oh love, come on! You don’t need to be afraid of me!>>

<<I’m not scared: now that I think about it, you look like my boggart after I’ve cast Riddiculus>> The female deadpanned.

Sirius was stumped.

Beside him, Janes cackled

<<Your girl’s got sass, Padfoot>>

The other guy could only nod, watching as his crush took a seat as far as possible from him- or tried to: thanks to his distraction, all the other spots were occupied.

That meant she was sitting in the next desk. 

Y/N hoped that she’d successfully quelled the Gryffindor’s idiotic onslaught.

Well, she did... Just for a little while though

<<Such a sharp tongue for someone so pretty, doll>>

<<I also own very sharp blades, Black>> The girl countered, glaring at him <<Do not tempt me>>

<<I knew you couldn’t resist!>> He cackled

<<Yes, my killing instincts are very strong right now>>

The quaint theatre was interrupted by the arrival of Professor Silvanus Kettleburn, who immediately gave dispositions for the class

<<Very well. Today, you will work in pairs>>

The sentence every student dreaded, especially poor Y/N.

It seemed luck was not on her side that day because, when the professor announced her partner, she was faced with a smug Sirius, grinning from ear to ear

<<You know, my therapist says I’m afraid of commitment. Wanna help me prove em wrong?>>

<<Interesting. I’ve never wanted to commit more>>

<<Really?>>

<<Yes; a murder>> The E/C-eyed student walked away from him, heading toward the fire crab the professor had assigned them

<<Ready to give up, Padfoot?>>

<<Never>>

<<I don’t know whether to commend you on your tenacity or call you foolish>> Remus commented

<<She’s made of fire, but I can handle it. And no, James; I’m not talking about the crab>>

              _______

<<No no no no. Stop right there>>

<<What?>>

<<You need to chop those before feeding the crab>>

<<Oh>>

<<Give them to me>>

Sirius nodded, handing her the food and watching her cut it, slowly and precisely

<<Where have you been all my life?>>

<<Hiding from you>> Y/N replied coolly.

The boy cackled

<<You’re smart, funny, pretty, and you’ve got an insane amount of sass. You’re everything I’m looking for in a girl>>

<<Wow, I’m so lucky>>

It would have been impossible to ignore the sarcasm lacing her words, but Sirius didn’t acknowledge it

<<Would you want to go watch a movie with me this weekend?>>

<<I’ve already seen it>>

<<How can you know?>>

<<You’re asking me out again: I’ve already lived this horror enough to last me a lifetime>>

The older Black brother laughed, shaking his head in amusement

<<Alright, let me try again>>

<<Please no>>

<<Can I take you out on Saturday?>>

<<Sorry, I’m having a headache this weekend>>

<<What?>>

<<Leftovers from the one you’re giving me now>>

But you->>

<<Bitch you’d give a fucking aspirin a headache>> She growled.

Once again, Sirius was at a loss for words. Not only had Y/N just used two swear words in a sentence, but he knew he’d already heard those words somewhere...

<<Wait a second. You listen to Motionless In White?>>

He cried out. The female snorted

<<Are you kidding me? They’re one of my favourite bands>>

<<I like them too>>

Finally, the tension between them seemed to dissipate. Finally, Sirius’s smile was not a smug grin but a real, happy smile.

Finally, Y/N smiled genuinely back at him.

How cliché would it be to say that they felt like they were the only ones in the world at the moment?

(Fire crab aside)

And yet, that exactly how they felt.

It was so exhilarating that Sirius just had to try again

<<Y/N?>>

<<Yes?>>

<<I know the only words that you have for me are give up and get out>> The girl chuckled, prompting him to continue <<but I’m here to stay, forever and always>>

She laughed more. It was not sarcastic or mirthless but a true, joyous laugh

<<You know, you’re not so bad once I get past the smug act>>

<<I feel like that’s the biggest compliment you ever paid me>>

<<You’re probably right, but don’t get ahead of yourself. My killing instinct are not raging right now: let’s keep it that way, shall we?>>

<<I’m ready to bleed to make amends>> He joked. The young woman cachinnated, shoving him playfully

<<You idiot. You’re making it hard not to like you>>

<<That was my objective>>

<<Continue on this road and you might just achieve it>>

<<I will. Besides, I know better than to tease you when you’re chopping stuff with a knife; you warned me>>

Y/N cackled one more time, shaking her head in amusement.

It was an incredibly welcome turn of events.

              _______

Later that day, the two students sat together for lunch in the Great Hall, discussing anything that came to mind. Mostly their favourite bands.

The more they found out they had similar tastes the more engaged they became.

It was quite a sight. It surely left Remus and James gobsmacked: they would have never thought Y/N would actually want to be with Sirius. Didn’t he annoy her as much as James did Lily, with his dumb pickup lines?

Apparently not.

Their surprise grew even more when their friend suddenly asked her on a date- nothing new there.

They’d enjoyed endless attempts by Padfoot to win the heart of the smart and beautiful H/N.

Her answer, on the other hand, was something entirely unexpected

<<Yes, Sirius: I will go on a date with you>>

The black-haired Marauder offered her a huge smile, making her laugh

<<Thank you, darling. You won’t regret it>>

<<I certainly hope not>>

<<I’ll even make sure the place I take you to has sharp knives, so you’ll know what to do if I get too annoying, alright?>>

The girl laughed so hard that tears fell from her eyes

<<You’re an idiot>>

<<Duly noted. But doesn’t this idiot deserve a kiss?>>

Remus and James half expected Y/N’s smile to turn into a frown, and for her to smack him in the face.

Instead, against all odds, she giggled and pulled him closer, pecking his cheek

<<I finally managed to break the cycle>> Sirius beamed. Y/N snorted

<<Not entirely: you’re still an idiot>>

              _______

Idiot or not, the date went so well that they went on a second one, and a third, a fourth... And so on, until they officially became a couple.

Which meant Remus, James and Peter had to deal with their best friend and his girlfriend sucking faces and being all lovey-dovey- though they were sure those two only did it to piss them off.

Well, they’d learnt how to deal with it, as long as it was just holding hands and kissing- making out, actually.

But none of them was ready to find the two of them in bed together in their dorm room

<<What the->>

<<Ah!>> Y/N startled, waking Sirius

<<For crying out loud, guys, won’t you ever knock?>>

The poor friends just stood there, red in the faces while Padfoot rubbed sleep out of his eyes.

Once he’d had enough, he shouted

<<Well, why are you still standing there? Get out, we need to change!>>

Not even Death-Eaters after them would have made the three boys run so fast.

The female chuckled, standing up and smoothing our her boyfriend’s shirt that she was wearing like a dress.

The boy in question stared at her adoringly, pulling her closer

<<You look so good in my shirt>>

He fully expected her to blush, but she smirked and replied cheekily

<<I look even better out of it>>

The wink that came immediately after threw him for a loop

<<Y/N...>>

<<Yes, dear?>>

<<... That’s such a lame pickup line>>

<<Yeah... I stole the idea from you, along with your shirt>>

<<And my heart>> Sirius played along

<<... Just like that, the lame throne is yours again>>

<<But that makes you the queen of lame>> He pointed out.

She didn’t know what to reply to that, so she swatted him on the chest.

He gasped in horror

<<You said you’d never hurt me>>

His joke made her laugh.

When she calmed down enough, she teased

<<You’d still give a fucking aspirin a headache>>

<<Oh, are you an aspirin?>> For old times’ sake, he decided to throw in another lame pickup line <<I’d love to take you every 4-6 hours>>

<<Isn’t that too much for you?>> She teased. He chuckled and pulled her in his lap, pecking her cheek

<<You are too much for me, but I’m never letting you go>>

Despite the light atmosphere, those words held a promise of forever, and they both wanted that.

Their lips met and their hands held the other close.

Once again, as cliché as it may sound, they felt like the only two people in the world

              ___Extra____

Outside the door Remus, James and Peter stood still, looking at each other in confusion and embarrassment

<<How long do you think it will take?>>

<<Well, Wormtail, I don’t know much about Padfoot’s prowess in bed but->>

<<I’m not talking about that, James>> The shorter Marauder spluttered.

Remus sighed

<<That was probably the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to me. And that’s saying something, taking into account I hang out with you three>>

James cackled

<<Oh, Moony, you wouldn’t->>

<<I have a question>> Peter piped up again

<<What would that be?>>

<<Why are we still standing here?>>

<<Oh, right. We should come back later>>

<<Better yet, let’s change our house>> Remus groused <<Merlin knows I’m never going back there>>

After some silence, James spoke again

<<Hey, Moony, do you think if I used those pickup lines on Lily, she would->>

Professor McGonagall spent the whole day wondering if the incredibly loud sound she heard in the morning was actually a scream, and where it had come from

[20ways-tokillsomeone]

In the spirit of my previous headcanon post, here are my muses as patients in my day treatment program

I’ve been hospitalized numerous times before and day treatment was a Trip so here you go. Inspired by real events, some headcanons are inspired by real people I’ve met.

MJhin:

Basically treats it like a prison

The guiet guy who has the worst mental breakdowns imaginable

drama queen

comes there dressed either like a runway model or like he just crawled out of a dumpster, no in-between

the weirdo everybody talks about during breaks

group therapy is his stage and boy does he monologue

if you befriend him? nicest person you’ll ever meet

will bring you coffee unprompted and hug you when you’re feeling down

DOMINATES art class

overall just an unstable ball of trauma and anxiety

Kayn:

If this was a class he’d be the class clown

The popular one everyone flocks to

Doesn’t know when to shut up, has a habit of talking over other people during group

Is down to party 24/7, always participates every activity with the energy of a 4 y,o on cocaine

When he is down he’s DOWN. EVERYONE notices.

A bit of a fuckboy but a friendly one

Will not tolerate backtalk, claps back, even at staff

Probably tried sneaking alcohol or drugs into the hospital once (and succeeded)

Thresh (Classic):

Literally the oldest no matter who you put him with so he’s constantly surrounded by people he views as literal children

The only one immune to Kayn’s sass simply because he is sassier than him

Generally cooperative with staff until he just doesn’t feel like it and causes a huge scene

Laughs at other people’s expense, earning him a lot of callouts and complaints

Likely picked himself one or two people to hang out with and sticks to them if he’s not isolating himself fully

The most likely to skip days or be late because he just didn’t care enough to come

Is extremely petty and spiteful and will get back at you for the tiniest things

Swain:

Doesn’t understand why he was even referred to this dumb as shit program

Thinks his psychiatrist is overexaggerating- Well, everything.

Goes there regardless because arguing with his psych led to a dead end.

Unimpressed.

Cooperative with staff but only out of pure etiquette.

Does not bond with ANYBODY save for maybe ONE person.

Judges everyone to their face, not behind their back.

Keeps his diagnoses and medications a pentagon-level secured secret.

Comes there early just to be alone for an hour before everyone else arrives.

His mental breakdowns/triggers are silent and withdrawn.

Darius:

Jock jock jock jock jock

Seriously he and the hospital gym go hand in hand

Also a major showoff

Anger issues 100%

The laid back type who hangs with his own crowd but won’t really be opposed to mingle with yours if you asked

Can snap in the blink of an eye

Gets physical real fast

Cries in the psych’s/nurse’s office after

Teases Swain often but is also best buds with him

Has a weird ass hobby that’s OOC as fuck like gardening or painting

Zed: 

Is there because the alternative was a locked ward

Is basically on probation

Problem Patient

Appears quiet but he’s snarky and cynical as fuck

Leaves in the middle of group, fucks up classes, skips days/comes in late like Thresh, pisses all over the rules

Getting him to cooperate is like herding cats

Has a major crush on Shen

Probably got into fights with Darius

The only one Kayn listens to

Will never admit he needs the help or talk about his own feelings

Shen:

Actually fucking behaves

Follows the rules and listens to staff

Absolute wreck after one on one therapy sessions but is a ray of sunshine during group therapy, happy to be helping other people with their problems and offering insight

Oblivious to Zed’s crush on him

Sometimes throws the occasional tantrum during which he acts very childlike

The ward’s favorite but also the ward’s laughingstock at the same time

Very polite and composed but laughs at the dumbest shit

the one with the braincell

Akali:

Right there with Zed and Thresh, Akali often comes late but she makes an effort to come anyway

Besties with Kayn, helps him tease the fuck out of Swain and everyone else

VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT HEALING OKAY. Aggressive positivity for EVERYONE, participates in all classes like a grunge/punk cheerleader

Not the “aww it’s ok bb here’s a cupcake” but “YOU’RE A BADASS NOW PULL YOURSELF UP BITCH YOU’RE BETTER THAN THIS”

Is all “eugh” at Shen to be honest but also kinda friends with him

Zed is 50/50

She’s the angry type of depressed

When she’s having an off day she’s snappy and mean, but after she feels better she will apologize

Is eating ALL the time. SHe ALWAYS has a snack in her hand, be it a bag of chips or a sandwich she made. And yes, she will share.

[frustrated-writer-skyeknight]

S.q.u.a.d. reacts to the Lion King

Based on this article: I watched The Lion King as a grown-ass man.

"Man, Disney should just stop with the remakes already." Jamie sighed as he took some textbooks from his locker, "I mean, I think the Lion King one was just a CGI version of the original."

Jack frowned, scratching the back of his neck. "There was an original version?"

"What? Dude, of course there is. It's a classic. Everyone's seen it." Jamie snorted, turning towards the approaching brunette trio. "Hey guys, you know about the old Lion King movie, right?"

Dimitri shrugged, "I know there's a new lion movie out." He said. "Looks more like a documentary thing, if you go by the trailer."

"Didn't have cable growing up," Jim replied, "still don't. Plus, Disney is overrated anyway."

Hiccup hummed thoughtfully, "What's lion king?"

Jamie stared at his friends dumbfounded. "Okay, we are so having a movie night now." He said.

Later that Friday evening, Jamie and his friends find themselves in the den of his home, parents out with the younger sister, and three bowls of popcorn with different flavors; cheese, butter, and barbeque. Plus, two boxes of pizza.

"Wow, Jay," Astrid whistled as she settled on a spot next to him, "you sure went all out for this."

Jamie shrugged, "Disney is my childhood." he said.

"I still say they're a gold digging empire," Jim deadpanned, but took a handful of popcorn. "But I never say no to free food."

Dimitri took a slice of pizza as Jack had too, and they 'toasted' to it, "Preach."

"Okay guys," Jamie rolled his eyes as he set Netflix on the television, "at least wait for the movie to start. Since I brought it up earlier, let's start with 'The Lion King.' I've got tissues ready in case you need it."

Jim snorted, rolling his eyes. "It's an Animated kids movie." He said. "Nobody cries over those.

───────────────

🎶On the day we arrive on the planet~🎶

"Well, opening song sounds good." Jack hummed, "wouldn't mind getting it stuck in my head. Unlike that overrated Queen Ella single one."

Dimitri groaned, "Ohmygod, yes." he groused, "People will not shut up about it!"

"Okay boys." Astrid rolled her eyes, "focus."

They did so, but it didn't take long for someone else to speak up. "Whoa, now hold up. So, that monkey dude..." Jim frowned, and Jamie felt the need to pause the movie. "I mean, come on, this monkey chief dude comes hobbling around on a walking stick earlier, and you expect that he can hold a damn newborn over a cliff? That's shady, man."

"Just watch." Jamie rolled his eyes, smirking at his friend's offended expression. "Also, I'm gonna have to preemptively warn you to suspend your disbelief for a lot of these movies." He hits play once more.

And they watched.

"He's as mad as a hippo with a hernia."

"That's some mad alliteration skills," Jack mused, "ugh, alliteration. Still confuse that with assonance."

Hiccup stared at his boyfriend, "The fact that you even bring that up casually..."

"Okay, feeling that Scar's the bad dude here." Astrid interrupted, "but I'm liking the accent."

Rafiki is painting Simba on his tree...

"There's that shady baboon butt again, doing grafitti without his goddamn walking stick." Jim snorted, "I don't trust that punk."

Dimitri chuckled, giving his boyfriend a one-arm hug. "Pup, you have trust issues. It's your thing." He cooed, "it's a cartoon monkey, he can't hurt you."

"But he can hurt his fellow cartoon animal peeps." Jim countered. "Shady bastard."

Dimitri rolled his eyes, "and they say you're a cold, insensitive prick." He snorted.

"Wait, a Lion in a Pride mates with all the lioness..." Hiccup frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. "He's literally sleeping with his wife and the rest of his, uh, concubines in a single..."

Jamie groaned, "You're ruining my childhood here."

"So, this is that famous overmemed scene." Jack snorted, "pretty grand, I'll give it that. Tempted to google what the shadowy place is, though."

Jamie shook his head, taking Jack's phone. "No spoilers." He said. "It's coming up soon anyway."

"Forgive me for not leaping in joy. Bad back, you know."

Hiccup nodded faux sagely, "Scar is me at every social gathering." He said.

"No, no! Don't, you gullible lion cub!" Jim shouted at the TV, much to everyone's amusement. "THAT DARK PLACE IS OBVIOUSLY NOT AN ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD, SIMBA. DON'T DO DUMB SHIT. LISTEN TO YOUR PARENTS. GO TO LION CUB SCHOOL!"

Dimitri snickered, gesturing to his soulmark. "He's talking in capslock again." He said.

🎶"I just can't wait to be king~!"🎶

"Okay, I'm so finding a playlist in Spotify now." Jack mused, scrolling at his phone that Jamie returned earlier. "These tunes are gonna be my jam."

Hiccup shrugged, "I still find it funny that the animals are so okay with their predators being their king. No revolution sparked by discontentment at all." He pointed out. "Sounds kinda fishy."

"Okay, anyone else feeling kinda awkward with Simba and Nala's sexual tension?" Jim voiced out, "I mean, they're kids... Or cubs... Whatever. They're young."

Hiccup nodded, "Not to mention, cousins. Being in the same Pride..." He trailed off as Jamie kicks him lightly on the shin.

"Again, ruining childhood for me." Jamie sighed, and Astrid rubs his arm soothingly.

Jim points at the screen accusingly, "Ah! An elephant graveyard!" he gawked. "okay, was wrong on that, but still creepy as hell. Especially now that practically everywhere in the Savannah is an elephant graveyard... Even a rhino graveyard."

Jack shook his head, "Guys, you need to chill."

"Okay, these hyenas reminds me of that old Cartoon Network show, Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy." Hiccup mused, "Especially Ed, who's basically Ed. Can't be a coincidence."

Astrid snickered, "He's also you; laughing or making jokes to laugh about in inappropriate situations." she teased. "Got us in trouble a lot in those 'bring your kid to work' events."

"Aaaand Mufasa comes in to save the day," Jack slow clapped, "knew it. But boy, is Simba grounded. You done fucked up, kid."

"I'm surrounded by idiots..."

Jim huffed, leaning back against the couch and Dimitri's arm. "Mood." He deadpanned. "Also, calling out their cruelty to animated zebras."

"I know right?" Dimitri humored him, "where the fuck is PETA when you need them?"

Jamie snorted, smirking at them, "Uh, I don't know... Reality?"

"Doesn't feel like it either." Astrid quipped, "elephants still dying everywhere."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Fucking chill guys."

"Ah, Hiccup, look. How's that for discontentment?" Astrid pointed at the screen, "Scar's not satisfied with being sass king of the jungle. Wants to run for real king, that can't end well."

Hiccup shrugged, "I'll take it." He said, "and it's not a jungle, actually.

"Dude has mad pipes though." Jack pointed out, "I'd definitely attend the opening night of 'Scar: The Musical.'"

Jamie hummed thoughtfully, "Huh, a lion king remake with his perspective instead would be an improvement." He said.

"Simba, it's to die for!"

"Okay Hiccup, take notes." Astrid quipped, "Scar's pun game is topnotch."

Hiccup snorted, tossing a throw pillow her way. "Must've learned from me." He shot back, "I'm a master."

"Still," Astrid said, laughing as she threw the pillow back, "I have the feeling this is the point of the movie I'm gonna start hating Scar."

Jamie cringed as the stampede started, and he paused the movie much to everyone's frustration. "Okay, guys. Again, maybe you need ti—" he trailed off.

"PLAY THE DAMN MOVIE!"

Jamie did so. And he found it strangely satisfying when everyone cried out a despairing 'NOOOOOOOOOO!' along with Simba as Mufasa fell to his death.

"Mufasa is dead?!?!" Jim gawked, "he died?!!? Just like DUMBLEDORE?!?!?! Just like MY FATHER?!" He whimpered, leaning on Dimitri as his boyfriend reached for the box of Kleenex from Jamie. "Feeling unusually upset right now. It's a damn kid's movie. It has no right to be hitting it home, and right to the feels."

Dimitri sighed, patting his back consolingly. "There, there..."

"Fuck you, Scar. Just..." Jim groused, "Fuck. You."

Astrid sighed, taking a sheet from the Kleenex herself. "Gotta say, though," she started, "for a schemer like Scar, he sure does skimp on the quality of his henchmen. Letting Simba go is gonna bite him in the ass someday. Guaranteed."

"Okay," Jamie paused the movie. "intermission. Who needs a bio-break?"

Jim just stood up and went for the bathroom. The rest finished the pizza and Dimitri made sure to leave some for Jim.

"You good, Jim?

"Shut up and play the movie." The brunette groused, "ugh, I can't believe I cried. Damn you Scar."

Jamie laughed as he plays the movie once more. "Told you you'd need tissues."

"Screw you, man."

───────────────

"Mufasa's death was a terrible loss..."

Jim eats his pizza. He continues to curse Scar as he speaks of Mufasa's death. "Don't fall for his crap, come on!" He scowled. "Zazu, he fucking slammed you to a rock!" He sighed, "Why the hell are you letting him become king? This is why you animals are getting extinct."

"It's.... really not." Hiccup protested.

Dimitri massaged his shoulders, "Jim, you can print out a picture of Scar and dart him, okay pup?" He soothed.

"The hyenas look like they can get shit done, though." Jack mused, "well, except for giving Simba the slip."

Jim hummed, "Oh, baboon guy. Almost forgot about this dude." He said. "Cutting him some slack because I feel he's going to drop some Yoda shit on this bitch."

"You get so feisty when you're irritable." Dimitri mused, "and this is why Scroop secretly has a thing for you."

"WHAT!"

"What?"

"Don't worry," Dimitri shrugged, kissing the tip of his nose. "I don't share."

Jim huffed, "Well, I bloody hope not!"

"You gotta put your behind in your past."

"Gotta get a tattoo of this Pumbaa quote." Jack joked, "words to live by 101."

Hiccup audibly whimpered, taking Jack's hand. "Please don't " he said. "Your skin's perfect. It's bad enough that my choice of words already marred it."

"Aw, babe..." Jack hugged him, "you know I love it."

Astrid blew a raspberry. "Get a room."

"Uh, my house, so no." Jamie protested.

Jim blinked, "Wait, I know this is Timon and Pumbaa because I had them on a pencil case when I was eight or something. Then, I got one of space and that was that." He started. "But damn, I didn't know Hakuna Matata was from here. I have heard this song before, I am not entirely ignorant."

"I'm so hungry, I can eat a whole Zebra."

"I'm condemning this casual Zebra slaughter," Hiccup declared. "Let it be known. You can't just eat a whole Zebra, Simba. Come on."

Astrid gagged, "Insects? Really?" She shakes her head. "Simba's diet is fucked. I'm not a nutritionist or a zoologist, but I really, really, don't think insects are enough to get Simba through all those years in the jungle. I mean, it's like asking humans to survive on dog food alone."

"And yet he has grown into a fine-ass lion over the course of about three bars of song." Jack whistled, "Intriguing. Switching to insect-based diet after the movie."

Hiccup shakes his head, "Snowflake, I rather you go vegan."

Rafiki appears and takes Simba's floating fur with the dandelions...

"There's monkey Yoda again," Jim snorted, "jumping down on trees, not a walking stick in sight. He's on to something though, so I'll let it sli—HOLD THE PHONE!" The brunette balked, "Did baboon man REALLY figure out Simba was still alive from smelling dandelions that floated from miles away?"

Dimitri rubbed his back in circles, "Pup, stop being antagonized by the damn monkey already." he snickered, "it's cute, but I'm worrying over your mental health."

"Don't tell me what to do, dimwit." Jim scoffed, "I mean, really, this insane Yoda monkey with inconsistent usage of walking aids might be the movie's last hope. How to feel about this, I don't know."

"AAAAAAH!"

Hiccup hummed, faux sadly. "We're gonna lose Pumbaa. I can feel it." he said. "Life's just not fair, and warthogs just aren't fast."

"Oh, wait, it's Nala!" Jack cheered, "Yaaay!"

The freckled brunette snorted, crossing his arms. "Nala goes from hunting Pumbaa one minute to having a conversation with him after Simba vouches for him?" he shook his head, "So, tell me how there aren't any riots with the predators being friends with some preys, and others not? Unjustifiable exceptions."

"Guys, suspend your disbelief." Jamie sighed, "I think I gave out that warning earlier."

🎶...You needn't look too far; Stealing through the night's uncertainties, love is where they are~🎶

"Whoa, 'Can you feel the love tonight' was from this movie? Okay, it's official, I'm in love with this soundtrack." Jack made an exaggerated bowing down motion towards the screen, "Hands down one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard."

Dimitri narrowed his eyes at the screen, in scrutiny. "They totally boned at this scene, right?" he deadpanned. "I mean, did you see those bed room sex eyes?"

Jim stuffed him with a pillow, "At least the sexual tension between them doesn't feel as awkward now."

"You said you'd always be there! But you're not... it's because of me..."

Hiccup nodded his head, "Sexual tension replaced with crippling self-loathing, just like real life." he sighed, "feel ya, Simba."

"God, I don't know how many therapists mom made me see until I finally got over blaming myself for my sperm donor leaving us." Jim sighed, shaking his head. "and then guidance counseling when we found out he killed himself a few months before Freshemen year started."

Dimitri stared at his boyfriend worriedly, "Pup, do you need a hug?" he embraced him without waiting for a response.

"It ain't your fault, Jim. Shit happens... Especially stampedes if you're in a forest."

Jamie sighed, "Savannah."

"Real talk, though," Astrid mused, "shit happens when you've got scheming uncles who planned to push their brother off the buffalo freeway."

The brunette stared at his girlfriend before picking up his phone, "I'm tweeting that."

Rafiki appears humming incoherently...

"I swear to god, this monkey is on meth." Jim snorted, shaking his head. "Yeap, he just called Simba a baboon. This primate is trippin'."

Dimitri stared at the rest of his friends, as if he was in 'The Office'. "I'm never gonna hear the end of this, am I?"

"Better not bring him to any Zoos soon," Jack advised. "He might try to throw rocks at the monkey containment."

"Okay, I take it back." Jim raised his arms, "This is going to be some pivotal revelatory shit." he started.

"Correction, I know your father."

Jim glared at the screen, pointing an accusing finger. "Okay, still trippin'" He scowled at the meditation monkey, "I hope this really is Mufasa and not some metaphorical mambo-jumbo. If not, I call subterfuge."

Jamie was starting to wonder if this whole movie marathon was a good idea. They were just starting with the first one, and Jim already seems like a lost cause. Maybe there was a reason innocent children were the target audience.

"CALLED IT," Jim growled at the television, "that's a reflection, you punk-ass monkey. Way to let a brother down." He shook his head, frowning as the screen shows cloud Mufasa. "Aaaaand now he's slipped Simba some acid. Just great."

Definitely a bad idea.

"Wow, it worked." Even Hiccup is surprised. "who'da thunk it. Hm, might wanna check for hidden projectors, though. Monkey might've pulled a Mysterio... Well, for a good cause, but still. Jim's got it right with subterfuge."

Dimitri glared at him, "Dude, spoiler alert."

"Oops." Hiccup blushed, "sorry."

Jack blinked at the screen, "What the fuck," he scowled, "He just left Nala behind and returned home? When it was her idea in the first place? Bro, that's your soulmark. Boy, is he in for some pain."

"I think this came out before the discovery of soulmarks." Hiccup patted his hand soothingly. "there, there.... What we should really be questioning is that desert. I'm still wondering how there's even an oasis in this movie."

Jamie face palmed, "Suspend your disbelief, suspend... Oh, forget it." he groaned.

🎶"He eeee's a big pig (Yup, yup). You could be a big pig too. Oy!"🎶

"In a movie filled with amazing songs," Jack snickered, "Timon's luau song's gonna be my personal favorite. Bonus points for presentation."

Astrid sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. "And they fell for it," she tossed her hand in a 'I'm so done' manner. "This is why you hire quality hit man, Scar. You can't half-ass a coup and not expect repercussions."

"Well, if he was Loki-smart," Jamie shrugged, "well, there's no Avengers to beat him up and the heroes don't win."

Jim snorted, "Simplified hero-winning's overdone." he said. "Villain redemption arcs like Zuko's should start catching on."

"So, you have no cable for Disney," Dimitri started, "but you know ATLA?"

Jim shrugged, "A therapist was a fan," he explained, "and she thought it'd help with my father abandonment issues. Confirmed: It did."

"I killed Mufasa..."

Hiccup face palmed, and groaned as if he was in real agony. "Aaaagh, typical villain behavior." he groused, "shut your damn Zebra-holes, and finish the job for once, you idiots never learn."

"Chat shit, get banged, Scar." Dimitri snickered, "Chat shit, get banged."

Jim stuffs a pillow at him once more, "Stop it with the innuendos!" he sighed, as he stared at screen. He raised a brow, "Amidst this all-out melee, meth-monkey is doing some serious damage. How, I do not know."

"Well, guess he's been hiding his pizzaz all along."

Simba and Scar finally battle it out

"NOOOOOOO!"

"YEEEEEEEEES!"

Jack cheered, "SIMBA WINS." he grinned, "And the hyenas have also found a temporary solution to their food shortage. Win-win."

"This was a kid's movie..." Jim narrowed his eyes at the screen, "and they heavily implied Scar getting gang-devoured."

Jamie snorted, and snickered. "You should see the one when the villain got hanged from the treetops."

"WHAT!"

"Remember who you are..."

"Feel like 'The Eye of the Tiger' would be a proper song for this moment," Jack mused, before pausing in thought, "wait, wouldn't that be 'Eye of the Lion', then?"

Hiccup laughed, shaking his head. "And just like that, the land is glorious again. No mention of rehabilitation process with might have included replanting trees, and attracting livestock with lucrative real estate prices." he mused.

"Let's just hope this heralds a decline in the merciless killings of animated Zebras." Jim snorted, "still unsure as to how meth-monkey hasn't managed to drop a cub off the cliff yet."

Jamie shook his head, as he went back to Netflix's home screen, and grinned towards his friends, "Now, as payback for effectively ruining my childhood, here's a little piece of info to mindblow you guys: The Lion King is basically Hamlet but with lions, and a happy ending."

"WHAT!"

"Ohmygod!" Jack balked, "IT IS! IT SO IS!"

Hiccup frowned, shaking his head. "I can't believe I didn't see it," he frowned. "And I fucking love Hamlet. I feel like I've let Shakespeare down."

"Baboon man should've made like Yorick and turned into a skeleton head..." Jim snorted, "Wait, was that why they made Scar hold that skull in a certain way?"

Dimitri rolled his eyes, "And here I thought we moved past the whole Rafiki antagonized drama."

Jamie laughed outloud, clutching his stomach. "Just wait till you see the Romeo and Juliet sequel."

"Can we get a movie with more..." Astrid scrunched up her nose, "... humans please?"

[talesfantastic]

Muse Introduction: Noctis Lucis Caelum (Final Fantasy XV)

History:

Noctis Lucis Caelum, 114th heir to the throne of Lucis and the son of King Regis and Queen Aulea, was born to die, though for most of his life he was unaware of this. Queen Aulea died when her son was just an infant, and though King Regis loved him deeply and dearly, there was no escaping the burden of the crown. Noctis’ earliest memories featured other caretakers with rare but cherished stolen moments with his father.

When he was little more than a toddler, he was introduced to Ignis, who would one day become his Hand and the core of his retinue. His oldest and closest companion, his one true constant even as other people cycled in and out of his life, Ignis was his rock.

Unknown to Noctis, when he was five, his father discovered that he was the destined King of Light, and made the decision to try and give him as ‘normal’ a life as possible, even allowing him to go to public school - which would later backfire spectacularly.

At eight, Noctis nearly died in a Marilith attack. Several servants and caretakers he was fond of did die, attempting to protect him until his father and the rest of the guard arrived. His injuries were so severe that he slipped into a coma, and only through the protection of the Messenger Carbuncle was he able to escape. Even after, he was taken to Tenebrae in secret to be healed by the Oracle, Queen Sylva. It was then that he befriended Princess Lunafreya who gave him his first insights into what would be his destiny. At such a young age, he didn’t really grasp what he was being told, but was eager to work with his new friend to help save the world.

Niflheim’s invasion, the death of the Oracle, and being utterly helpless while his father and Crownsguard fled - leaving Lunafreya and Ravus behind - would go on to be further sources of trauma that would haunt him well into adulthood. 

Living with severe chronic pain and several sources of childhood trauma meant that the bubbly, bright boy he had been was not the same child that came back from Tenebrae. Noctis was withdrawn, subdued, and quickly formed a brusque, prickly exterior to keep people at a distance and protect himself as he tried to deal with the strain of public school. He didn’t fit in. He didn’t make friends. He was not, by any stretch of imagination, happy - and that was exacerbated by his initially strained relationship with the second of his retinue.

His and Gladio’s relationship started out admittedly rocky, due to their conflicting natures and very different ways of approaching things. Gladio was always pushing, and at first Noctis was very resistant to step outside his comfort zone - especially when it came to things that literally hurt. But Gladio was smart, patient, and knew just how far he could push. Eventually, they settled into a more comfortable give-and-take, and a deeper bond of trust that let Noctis and Gladio both be themselves around each other, without requiring Ignis’ intervention.

Moving into his own apartment at fifteen was a beautiful gesture, but not necessarily the right decision as it isolated Noctis even further and played into his unhealthy instinct to withdraw from people. It wasn’t until high school that he would make a real friend untethered by station - Prompto Argentum came from a vastly different background, but was exactly the sort of determined sunshine Noctis desperately needed.

Despite being accused of being lazy and uncaring about things, Noctis graduated at the top of his class. At the same time, however, he struggled with the pressures of his station and the sudden grasp of his father’s mortality - and the fact that he might well be actively dying under the strain of the wall and the stresses of being a king at war. Though they were by no means close (another source of stress) he still cared deeply and it hurt.

He was only twenty when he was informed he would be sent off to Altissia to marry his childhood friend, the current Oracle Princess Lunafreya to help end the centuries-long war with Niflheim. He barely got to see his father in time for a send off, ceremonially king-to-prince and scarce moments of father-to-son. He would forever regret that his last words were sassing the man.

Because the treaty was for nothing. Niflheim came in full force, stole the Crystal, killed his father, and destroyed the Crown City. And somehow, he was supposed to fix things.

It was only then that he had even an inkling of what it meant to be the King of Light.

Description:

At twenty, Noctis reaches his full adult height of 5’9. Black hair is kept short, and admittedly a bit messy, especially for royalty. His eyes are more commonly blue, though they can turn shades of red depending on how much / what kind of magic he’s channeling. His clothing, when he has a choice, is casual - all Lucian black, of course, but his favorite outfits are dark tees, baggy cargo capris and calf high boots.

Few realize that the baggy clothes hide at least one brace on his left knee and often also a back brace. His single glove, likewise, hides a wrist brace.

|| character tag || character page ||

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Guardian of creatures; AU! Queen x oc female x reader Chap. 11

*Author’s note*

Well this got done within a night shift of writing lol but now we discover the TRUE mythology of the Wizards in this story. I also hope you all enjoy the face cast I’ve picked out for you all, I know some of you are gonna FLIP OUT!! So enjoy this chapter folks and until the next update :)

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things​

@queendeakyy​

@queensdivas​

@queen-paladin​

@geek-and-proud​

@waddles03​

@psychosupernatural​

@ixchel-9275​

@simonedk​

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels​

@kinole009x​

@wormzteef​

@glitter-at-the-panic​

Chapter 11,

The Truth

__________________________________________________________-

*3rd Person POV*

Serafina and Balthazar walked side by side along the desert as the rain continued to softly pour down on top of them.

“Why didn’t you tell us that you were—the Balthazar when you first met us?”

“I don’t usually give out that information freely.” He answered using the Egyptian’s actual voice.  It was more softer compared to his original voice but it still held a commanding tone to it.

“Also this body……this clearly isn’t your human body. Are you possessing this poor man?”

“He volunteered it freely all those centuries ago when I went to find you and John. Plus I have to keep my true self hidden. As I’m sure you remember that the Sorcerer Supreme can sense every living creature on Earth. And ghosts give out the strongest power force known to our realm. If Grindelwald saw me freely moving about in the world, all hell would break loose.”

“That is true.” She muttered.

“We’ve arrived.” Balthazar soon said as he stopped. Serafina stopped beside him and the two of them stood on top of a semi-high (around 3-4ft) rock wall which stood over more desert.

“You woke me up in the middle of the night just to bring me out further into the desert?” Serafina sassed at the great Wizard.  He softly chuckled and said with a sigh.

“Oh you even have his sarcastic nature.”

“Whose sarcastic nature?”

“Close your eyes dear one.” Serafina closed her eyes before feeling 2 fingers press against each side of her temples and soon Balthazar’s real voice spoke in her head.

‘Over a thousand years ago the world of Sorcerers was a very different place. Instead of one Wizard ruling over all others, all of us lived and helped serve under the 3 great apprentices of Merlin.’

“This was the story we were taught on our first day of school. The history of Wizards.”

‘Indeed. While each wizard and witch lived in their own countries, all Sorcerers were considered equals and called a special sacred place known as the Garden of Merlin, home. Now—open your eyes.’ Serafina opened her eyes and she was greeted with an amazing sight.

Nothing but pure green surrounded her, the sky was just shining it’s dawning colors of pink and blue as the sun continued to rise higher into the sky.  She stood up on a hill and saw wildflowers growing as far as she could see in all various colors and types, trees so big she’d swore they’d brush against the clouds in the sky.

“Did we just time travel?” she turned and saw Balthazar as his true self.  He now stood roughly about John’s height, maybe a couple inches taller.  His ghostly eyes stared at Serafina as he told her.

“There’s too much to see and so little time. Try not to ask too many questions.” With that he walked deeper into the forest.  Serafina ran behind him and when she caught up to him, she looked around the forest.  

Listening to the frogs and birds bring the forest to life, squirrels scampering around the tree branches and deer along with other forest creatures doing whatever it was they do.

“This is where your family was born. Behold.” Balthazar pushed back a shrub and soon they saw a group of wizards all talking amongst one another, children playing games with either one another or with their parents.

“But won’t you disrupt the time stream by being here?”

“No. Because this is just a vision. No one can see nor hear us.” Serafina looked out watching everyone all happy and smiling at one another. Nothing like she had seen before with sorcerers of different nationalities and skin colors truly living like brothers and sisters.

“Hang on you said this is where my story began? That’s not true at all. My family didn’t come around till after the fall of the 3 apprentices.”

“Not true.” He immediately said to her.  She looked at him confused. “You see that little girl over there? Who does she remind you of?” he pointed towards a young girl with long brown hair and blue eyes.

Playing alongside her was a Hispanic man with brown hair, warm brown eyes and a mustache over his upper lip while at his jaw a stubble of a beard was forming.  He wore an elegant golden wizard robe and watched with pride and a warm smile as he saw this young girl practicing her magic.

“She…..she almost looks like me.”

“That’s because she is your ancestor. Wanda Arya Black. And that man she’s with is my brother Archimedes.” Serafina’s eyes widened as her jaw dropped.

“Archi—Archimedes?! As in Archimedes the Wise?! That Archimedes?” she turned to Balthazar.

“Yes is there an echo in here?” wow he was definitely John’s ancestor.  He cleared his throat and said, “He was the only one out of the three of us to take on an apprentice. As the first muggle-born witch she showed prose and potential, so Archimedes took her in as his ward as well as her teacher.”

“But there was never an apprentice in the legend. Balthazar no offense but I’ve been taught your story throughout my entire life. Why did you bring me here?”

“Because you don’t know our story. Come with me.” He walked away leaving Serafina to stare at her ancestorial grandmother as well as the 3rd great apprentice of Merlin.  As she watched the two of them walk away, Serafina turned and followed in the direction Balthazar went.

Day soon turned to night as they kept walking to another part of the garden.  As they stopped, they spotted 3 figures sitting at a clearing looking up at the moon and the stares in the night sky.  Serafina obviously recognized the two men because she was standing right next to him now.

The two men were Archimedes and Balthazar (back when he was alive).  A woman was also with them.  She wore a long, short-sleeved black dress and had long wavy brown hair.  She was around their age and she was sitting upon a rock beside inbetween the two men.

“It’s you guys. And that woman, is that—”

“Shh! Pay attention now.” Balthazar told her.  They turned back towards the three young apprentices and soon they heard Archimedes speak up.

“I know that I was chosen to be his wisdom and destined to teach future young ones of our ways but I—don’t think I’m ready just yet.”

“There’s no way we could ever feel ready for this. I mean how do you think I feel about being the next Sorcerer Supreme?” asked Balthazar.

“Some help you are.” Archimedes scoffed out a laugh.

“I’m not finished!” Balthazar stated.

“I think what cheekbones is trying to say is, is that we’ll be fine. Merlin has never steered us wrong before my brothers. We are all ready for this. And we’ll always have each other for when things get hard, right?” Morgana said as she got off the rock and placed her hands on each of her brother’s shoulders.

“Right.” Balthazar agreed with a strong nod.

“Right.” Archimedes however had a slight hesitant tone to his voice but the smile on his face fooled the other two.  Morgana let out a yawn and Balthazar said.

“I think we’ll go ahead and retire for the evening.”

“Goodnight. I’ll see you both tomorrow.” Archimedes said. As Balthazar and Morgana flew off, together (Balthazar using his magic to fly while Morgana summoned her broom).

“Cheekbones? Really Morgana?” Balthazar asked offensively.

“C’mon Balthazar, you’ve got to admit you have sharper cheekbones than even our Master.” Morgana teased back.  The two of them continued to banter with each other till they were out of sight.

Archimedes softly chuckled and shook his head before growing solemn again and looked back up at the moon.

“You see…….at the time I didn’t realize that while Archimedes was ready to take his place as the Wisdom of Merlin, he wasn’t happy.” Balthazar explained to Serafina.

“You guys have the most famous story in all of Wizard lore, what was it that could make him happy?”

“A friend of yours.” They turned back around and after a little while a female voice spoke up.

“Are they gone master?”

“They’re gone.” He said.  Soon coming out of the shrubs was Wanda.  She was older, now the same age as Serafina and she could see for herself that she looked almost identical to her ancestral grandmother.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep him away much longer.” She suddenly shrieked as someone lifted her up and spun her around.

“Well then don’t make me stay away so long next time!” Soon coming into the light of the full moon was none other than Roger Taylor himself.

Serafina couldn’t believe it!  She knew Roger had been around since the creation of the seas but he actually was there before the fall of the 3 apprentices of Merlin? He knew Archimedes the wise personally as well as her ancestral grandmother?! Was that why he seemed to flirt with her cause she reminded him of Wanda? And why didn’t he ever mention it before?

“How can I survive without my favorite witch and wizard?” Roger said as he nuzzled into Wanda’s neck affectionately.

“We’re sorry my friend, we just don’t……don’t want Morgana and Balthazar to—” Archimedes said as he pulled Roger away from his apprentice and gave the Nokken a brotherly embrace.  Roger separated from Archimedes and looked at him confused.

“You—you mean to tell me that Roger. My Roger knew Archimedes as well as my infinite great grandmother!? So what were he and Wanda friends like we are? Or—”

“Archimedes and Wanda both cared for their brother and sister wizards. But the beings they both could be truly happy with, were the Magical creatures.” Balthazar explained to Serafina.

“I just don’t understand why you won’t tell them you don’t want to do this anymore? What will you do tomorrow when Merlin crowns you the Wise?” Roger asked.

“I’ll go through with it. It’s been destined that I become his Wisdom after he passes on so—I will.”

“And then what you’ll forget about all the creatures we’ve helped? Forget about me?” Wanda said.

“No! That will never happen! Querida you know I’ll always love you.” Archimedes said as he cupped Wanda’s cheeks in his hand, stroking her cheekbones with his thumbs.

“Right. You say you love her, but you don’t want your fellow wizards to know what you both have been building! Sure we get it!” Roger huffed as he took Wanda back into his arms.

“This duty was chosen for me at birth what else am I supposed to do?! I don’t have a choice Roger.”

“You weren’t born to serve a purpose. You were born to live your life. You always have a choice.” Roger said.

“He’s right Master. Think of what we’ve worked so hard to build. Do you really want that to go down in flames? I don’t have the power to convince the Wizard council to keep what we’re trying to do secure. I need you. They need you.” Archimedes brushed a strand of Wanda’s hair out of her face and placed a hand onto Roger’s shoulder.

“Come on. This way now.” Balthazar guided Serafina away from the three of them and the two of them walked to another part of the garden.

The sun slowly started to rise but already in Serafina’s mind, dozens of questions were buzzing around her head.  She soon saw Balthazar stop beside a tree and she ran up to catch up to him.

“Where is he?!” Morgana’s voice snapped.  “Sorcerers from across the world are out there waiting for our coronation!”

“We’ve searched everywhere. But no one’s seen him ma’am.” Said a young blonde wizard.

“Well look again! He could’ve been captured or-or killed!” Morgana snapped.

“Lady Morgana! Lady Morgana!” soon a young witch with ginger hair came running up.  She had freckles decorated all over her face and bright green eyes. “I have news about Lord Archimedes.”

“Thank Paracelsus. Where is he?”

“He and his apprentice Wanda left with a creature known as a Nokken. He said to tell you that he and Wanda are safe and not to worry.”

“Left with a Nokken? For what?”

“It seems that he—” she went quiet.  She cleared her throat and continued hesitantly. “He said he had a greater calling. Than staying here, ma’am.” At hearing this, Morgana went silent.  Slowly her face contorted to anger as she sneered softly.

“You said a Nokken right? They’re like sirens yes? It tricked them both and then kidnapped them.”

“No. My Lord Arch—”

“I AM MORGANA LE FEY! MERLIN’S CHOSEN LAWKEEPER!! I DECIDE WHAT’S TRUE!! Where did it take them!?” she snapped with pure rage at the young witch.

“He—they didn’t say.” She said fearfully.

“No matter. I’ll find them one way or another.” Morgana growled lowly.

Balthazar sighed heavily with solemn.  He then turned to Serafina and warned her.

“This next scene won’t be pretty.” He walked ahead.  As Serafina passed over the tree, she was greeted with a gruesome sight.  Hundreds upon thousands of sea creature corpses lay across the land.

From mermaids, to sirens, Nokks to Kelpies.  Every sea creature known to mankind could be seen. Their bodies pale and their eyes soulless with death.

“Morgana declared war between us and the sea creatures. Accusing Roger of seducing both Archimedes and his apprentice and demanding retribution. It resulted in a massacre on a scale never seen before in Wizard history until two other occasions.” Balthazar explained as he and Serafina slowly walked over the corpses of the poor sea creatures.

“Me and Freddie.” Balthazar nodded solemnly.  They arrived at seemed to be the end of the garden. “Heartbroken at his apprentices fall into darkness; with his final breath, Merlin arranged the meeting between the four of them to meet at the sacred, neutral ground known to all creatures.” Balthazar once again pushed the shrubs away and Serafina soon saw Roger, Wanda, Archimedes, and Morgana standing in a landscape that she knew all too well.

“It’s—my home.” She whispered in awe as well as shock.

“I’ve come as Merlin decreed. Now give them back, and all of this can be over.” Morgana took a step when Roger, who was now in his full Nokken form guarding Archimedes and Wanda, snarled as his gills flared angrily.

“Stay back! They came here to talk! That’s all!”

“Please sister stop this. I can’t give you what you want.” Archimedes pleaded.

“That’s not true. You’re our brother!” Morgana tried to reason with him.

“Yes. You and Balthazar have been my brother and sister. You both will always be my brother and sister. But our journey together has come to an end.”

“You’re—abandoning us? For what purpose? What purpose is greater than being with your own family?” Archimedes swallowed his tears and said as he looked directly at Morgana.

“The protection and safe security of all Magical creatures. So please, let them live in peace.”

“There is no peace without you Archimedes! You belong with your own kind. With Sorcerers. With us.” Morgana pleaded.  Archimedes turned his head and refused to look Morgana in the eye.  She took another step before looking towards Wanda now.  “Wanda, you know this is the way. Please child come with me.” Roger’s claws dug deeper into the ground as his fangs grew longer.

“I said….STAY BACK!!” then like the animal he truly was, he launched himself at Morgana, pinning her down and snarled down at her.

Morgana’s gagging echoed in the night as Roger began to choke her to death before he felt ready to deliver the final blow.  He wasn’t just doing this for his Sorcerer friends but he also lost all his best friends and family to this witch.

She cause in a complete genocide against the sea and now he was going to have his revenge.

“Roger stop it what are you doing!?” Wanda exclaimed.

“SHE’S A MONSTER WANDA!! She’ll keep hunting you both. Just like she hunted my people! I. Have. To end this!” Morgana continued to choke as she tried to get Roger off of her but he was too strong for her.

“Roger please listen to me! I know she’s slaughtered your people but—” Archimedes started off.  “If you kill her now, you will be no better than she was. We—we can’t bear to see you……”

“Please Roger let Lady Morgana go! For us.” Wanda pleaded as tears formed in her eyes.  Roger looked at his friends with helpless eyes but when he looked down at Morgana, his eye grew hard and filled with hatred.

But he knew they were right.  If he killed the high witch now, he’d not only have to go into hiding but he’d also be consumed by revenge.  Soon enough what would stop him from killed all other sorcerers? Including Wanda and Archimedes who have shown him nothing but kindness and love. Something his kind never truly understood, until he met them.  He turned back towards them and said softly.

“Only for you both.” He released Morgana and crawled over towards them.  Morgana let out a series of coughs as she slowly raised herself off the ground. Archimedes pressed his forehead against Roger’s and whispered.

“Thank you my friend.” Roger then turned to Wanda who immediately hugged him and kissed his blue/grey scale cheek.  “Sister Morgana I—”

“SANGUINE MALICE!!” Morgana cried out.  Wanda pushed Roger away and took the spell head on. She stumbled backwards as she clenched her stomach with one arm and held her hand to her mouth.  Wanda grunted and groaned before she suddenly vomited out blood.

Serafina watched with horror as she was experiencing déjà vu. For that spell was the very same spell that was used on her by John’s own mother.

“WANDA!!” Both Roger and Archimedes exclaimed fearfully. Roger quickly phased back into his human disguise and caught Wanda as she collapsed and proceeded to keep coughing and vomiting out blood.  Her eyes dripping out bloody tears as they slowly went red.  Her coughs and gagging now pierced the air.

Archimedes joined alongside Roger and took the young witch’s face in between his hands.

“She-she wasn’t the target. It was for the Nokk. But if a witch is willing to die for a monster, then she’s no different!”

“No. No, no, Wanda. Wanda, Wanda hey, hey, hey querida por favor. Por favor, stay with us. Stay with me.” Wanda slowly lifted her bloody hand towards Archimedes’ face and tried to speak, but all that came out were haunting gurgles.  “Shhh, shhh, shhh. Save your strength my darling girl. Shhhh, shhh.”

“Please Wanda just hold on. Archimedes will heal you just hang on we’ll get you help. Just please hold on for us. I love you so much my soulmate.” Roger pleaded as he stroked through her hair.

Slowly her head became limp as her gurgling ceased and her arm fell to the ground, leaving a bloody sweep across Archimedes’ right cheek.

“No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! No!” Roger pleaded and begged but it was too late.  Wanda Arya Black was gone.  “NOOOOO!!!!” Roger roared out in heartbroken agony and wept over her corpse. Archimedes too couldn’t hold his tears back as he pressed his forehead to Wanda’s and his tears fell upon her face.

When Roger slowly turned his head towards Morgana, his blood boiled with more rage than ever.

“You’ve killed one of your own!” He went to charge towards Morgana but a hand stopped him from moving any further.  Roger looked down and saw that Archimedes had stopped him. Before he could snap, Roger’s anger suddenly turned to fear as he sensed a sudden spike of power rising within Archimedes.

The wizard slowly stood up and Morgana stared at her brother in fear.

“Archimedes?” she softly spoke his name.  Suddenly she felt something beginning to choke her.  She dropped her wand as her hands went up to neck, trying to feel what it was that was choking her but she felt nothing but her own skin.  The sky grew dark, the wind softly picked up and even the moon went dark.  It was then Archimedes spoke in a low, haunting chant.

By the Guardian of all creatures

I give my voice to the Seers.

Soon even the moon itself grew black till it practically seemed to have disappeared completely.  Archimedes began to glow a bright white color as his lower half changed and morphed into a long snake-like tail.  

It soon came towards Morgana as it now revealed that a tail was now choking her.  Coils also formed around Wanda’s body protectively while Roger fell to the ground and submitted in fear, for he knew just what was coming.  

Suddenly from Archimedes’ lips not only did he speak but a thousand other voices both male and female came out of him.

“FOR YOUR CRIMES ON THESE SACRED GROUNDS, YOUR SOUL WILL KNOW NO PEACE! NOT FOR YOU OR YOUR DESCENDANTS!!” Soon Archimedes’ upper-half grew and grew till he stood well over the trees themselves.

His eyes now glowed pure gold with a white slit as the voices continued to speak through Archimedes.

“EVERY DESCENDANT YOU GIVE BIRTH WILL BE MARKED WITH SUFFERING. AND WE, SHALL BE YOUR DEATH IN EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. SO SAYS THE NAGA, THE SEERS OF ALL. THE GUARDIAN OF CREATURES CONDEMNS YOU. MORGANA THE TRAITORUS!”

Morgana had never in her life felt such fear surge through her body.  Her brother had surrendered his very being to the most powerful and dangerous creatures known to the supernatural world.  The eyes closed and with a bright light, all three of them disappeared, leaving her cowering on the ground as the wind blew her hair around her face.

Her expression frozen in pure terror.

From the bushes Balthazar looked down solemnly while Serafina was just in shock.

“None of this—was taught to us at school.”

“That’s because Morgana obliviated the entire Wizard community of what really happened that night, told her own version of the tale. And from there she made Morgana’s law, the execution and hunting of all magical creatures, out of her hate and fear. Years after I became Sorcerer Supreme, and saw for myself what happened that night thanks to the help of Freddie Mercury himself, I exposed her for the coward she really was. But when you obliviate an entire community, there is only so much you can do to rewrite certain parts of history without dire consequences. And her laws and teachings would soon make their way to my bloodline and the massacre of the Naga soon commence.”

Soon the forest changed to the very day the Naga genocide happened with Thomas Riddle Deacon was Sorcerer Supreme.  All of the Nagas surrounded them before the vision went black as Balthazar choked out sadly.

“I did my best to warn him, but—it wasn’t enough.” Soon the two of them were back in the real world.  Balthazar in his vessel’s body, a broken expression on his face as his head lowered in sorrow.  “Archimedes has been missing since that night and Morgana’s law continues to be enforced. That’s why at the end of every Sorcerer Supreme reign they plan, target and exterminate every living creature.”

“You mean Archimedes—is alive?” Balthazar nodded sadly. “This whole time?! So why hasn’t he been protecting these creatures?”

“He renounced his claim to it. So their only hope is for the next chosen one to take the mantel. That’s why Freddie also chose you along with John.”

“What?”

“You are Wanda’s descendant. You are destined to be the next Guardian of Creatures. If you don’t, the cycle will only continue. Archimedes will stay hidden, Morgana’s law will remain, and Sorcerers will continue to kill till only they are the supreme beings. That’s why we want you to help us end it.”

“I’m—sorry Balthazar. That’s too much even for me.” Serafina sat down along the wall and said as she held her legs to her chest. “I’m not a Guardian or a descendant of anyone connected to the 3 apprentices, I’m just……me.”

“You can believe in that and forget what I’ve told you or can continue to help fix a broken world. Your choice.”

For years she had been following in what Freddie has foreseen her and John to do but never did she imagine that she’d have to also lead all Magical creatures into peace.  Not to mention that she now suddenly got a whiplash of the fact that her family line was connected to the 3 apprentices of Merlin through apprenticeship.

But she had come too far now.  If she fled now then all this work would have been for nothing. She’d be abandoning her family yet again and that was something she couldn’t do.  Not when she finally started to rebuild it once again with the return of her adopted sons.

“Okay. What do you need us to do now?”

“Find Archimedes. He’s in his Motherland of what is now known as Chile. He has got to crown a Guardian of Creatures.”

“But Chile has one of the most powerful magical barriers. We wouldn’t even know where to start looking once we got there.”

“He’ll come to you dear one. He’ll trust his apprentice’s bloodline. But uhh… Archimedes won’t train you if you bring forth my descendant let alone know that you’re married to him. Best if you go find him alone.”

“You want me too—abandon my family?”

“You’re not abandoning them. Your destiny lies on a different path than theirs right now. You and Archimedes both need this.”

“I don’t know if I can do this on my own.” Balthazar placed his vessel’s hand on Serafina’s shoulder and both the vessel and Balthazar’s real voice spoke to her.

“When the time comes, I know you will do the right thing.” Their voices echoed in her head.

Back at camp Serafina’s eyes suddenly shot open and she panted heavily as a cold sweat stuck to her entire body.

“Melda?” John’s voice groaned beside her.  She looked down and rested her hand against John’s temple and used her magic to put him back to sleep.

“I’m alright my love. Go back to sleep.” He cleared his throat tiredly before letting out a moan and immediately fell right asleep. Serafina stared outside of the tent and thought to herself, ‘A descendant of Archimedes’ apprentice.’

She turned her night dress into traveling clothes and looked down at her husband and sons one last time.

“I’ll be back my loves. Please don’t worry.” She sent three red auras of magic into the minds of her boys who all smiled in their sleep and let out tired moans.

Serafina got out of the tent and she got on top of her horse and proceeded to race off into the desert.

[notyetneedcoffee]

Soul Seer, Pt. 10

Loki Master List

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Warnings: Only angst and a raging God of Lies in this chapter

Author’s Note: Takes place right after Avengers 1, with time travel elements and hints of Infinity Wars. Does NOT follow cannon after Avengers.

Every screen in the lab displayed analysis of the Chitauri materials or calculations for re-engineering the cities infrastructure. Despite the rapid pace of data collection, only one person worked in the quiet lab. The urge to sneak up behind him, to frighten him and see how tight of a hold he had on his monster, tickled across Loki’s mind. As fun as it might be, it would not be productive. So, Loki purposely scuffed his boot along the floor as he entered the room.

Banner looked up from the computer monitor, removing his glasses. He looked around the room, absently realizing they were alone. “Loki.”

“I would like to speak with you.” He circled the worktable, eyes instantly taking in the data flowing across the screen. Banner was examining his plans for an energy converter. “If you have a moment?”

“Um, yeah.” The doctor motioned to the chair. “What’s on your mind?”

Loki lowered himself slowly into the chair, gathering his thoughts. After spending the night skimming through the recollections of your day in the city, he found himself at odds. The mortals of Midgard never meant anything more than a distraction to him. At the most, they were a means to an ends. They were too fragile, too short lived, to be of any significance. However, after seeing them through your eyes he realized something most distressing. He found something in common.  

On Asgard, he learned at a very young age to conceal his emotions and lock them away. Even though Asgardians reveled in battle and celebrated robustly, they were not prone to the depth of feelings he seemed to possess. Only his mother seemed to understand. He always felt as if it were a cruel trick of the Norns, that they would make him so keenly aware of other’s motivations and yet feel the impact of their actions so deeply.  

Loki had laid beside you, petting you hair as you slept, as he made peace with the realization that for all of Midgardian’s frailties there was an intensity and depth of emotion he understood. He never would have understood were it not the connection he now shared. He’d been blind to it for a millennia.

“What is the status of people?” Loki asked, nothing of his inner turmoil on his face or in his voice.

“The, ah, people?” Banner cocked his head.

“The people of your city? What have your rulers done to assure their safety and well-being? Are they being housed and fed? Have proper tributes been made to the honored dead?” Loki leaned forward, intent.  

“Oh.” Bruce leaned back, tossing his glasses on the table. He rubbed his forehead. “That’s a big question. See, things don’t really work quite the same here.”

“Explain.”

“So, what is this about?” Fury strode down the hall toward Stark and Rogers.

“Banner just asked us to join him and Loki in the conference room. They have something to discuss.” Steve shrugged. He knew Bruce well enough to trust that they would not be wasting their time.

“Apparently, the good doctor has been giving Reindeer Games a civics lesson.” Tony smirked. Fury scowled. “What? This could be interesting.”  

The three turned the corner towards one of the many conference rooms in the tower. Loki’s voice boomed down the hall. “That’s barbaric!” Banner answered but it wasn’t clear. The god’s voice still reverberated down the hall. “And they call me monster!”  

Tony glanced sideways a Fury with a grin. “See? Interesting.”

In the conference room, Bruce sat on the table near one of the big screens showing a long list of statistics. Loki paced along the outer wall, staring out the window. Steve came fully into the room. “What’s barbaric?”  

Loki stopped, hands fisted. He turned slowly towards Rogers. “That the rulers chosen by your precious country, provide neither guaranteed care for their physical well-being, nor recompense for the loss of their domicile or trade during war or disaster.” Loki growled a little deeper. “And there are no tributes given to the honored dead.”

Fury sighed, “There are programs that...”

Loki cut him off. “Oh, yes, I’ve read all about your programs of so-called welfare, and health-care, and other miasma filled bureaucracy. From what I can tell, most of the resources go to those who already have resources to spare. What ruler allows their subjects to suffer so?”

“Oh, so you arrived and blew everything to shit to be a benevolent king?” Fury spat.  

“There is no such thing as homelessness, or hunger, on Asgard.” Loki hissed. “No one dies because their wounds or ailments go untreated.”

“Well, we’re not a world of bottomless resources.” Fury bit back.

“You have more than enough!” Loki stepped closer.

“Loki.” Bruce’s quiet voice cut through the tension. “Let’s dial it back, and get on topic.”

He took a deep breath, giving Banner a subtle nod of his head, before returning to the window.  

Tony fought to keep the smirk off his face. He never imagined Loki and Banner swimming in the same side of social politics pool. “Yeah, ah, what’s up doc?”

“Loki wants to help with the rescues.”  

“I can locate survivors better than your technology. I can communicate with them if needed when you cannot. Besides, the use of my magic and my strength is as useful as yours in mere physical aspects of reaching the living.”

“Locating survivors would be a big advantage.” Steve easily admitted. “People may not be willing to accept your help, though.”

“There’s no need of them to know it is me.” Loki turned toward the Captain. A green shimmer fell over his body. Standing before them was a man, only vaguely similar in face. His hair was short and light brown. His face sported a light scruff of a beard. His skin took on a slightly more golden tone. He wore jeans and Stark issue pullover.  

“Just can do that whenever you want, huh?” Fury sighed.

“Yes.” Loki smiled. “Man, woman, any shape or form I wish. It is a key part of my nature.”

“Gotta be fun for Princess Buttercup.” Tony mumbled. Banner’s eyes widened. The corner of Loki’s lip twitched.

“Would this take away from the other work you’re doing?” Steve, ever the practical one, wanted to stay on point.

“I do not have the need of sleep that you mortals do.”

“Why?” Fury crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

“What do you mean?” Bruce began, but Fury held up a hand.  

“I want to know why, after three days, is Mr. High-and-mighty all of sudden interested in the welfare of a bunch of mortal ants under his boot.” Fury growled.

“I am interested in fulfilling my vow to the AllFather as completely and as quickly as possible. The century duration of the sentence is at his discretion. I intend to be far away from this rock long before the one hundred years are spent.” Loki lied easily.

Steve knew it was a lie. He’d seen the agony you’d been in evening before. Loki’s concern for your welfare and what he’d witnessed of your connection led him to believe that the Asgardian’s interest grew from his need to understand your pain. It was enough for him to believe in Loki intentions. “Okay, I’m in charge of the rescue effort. Let’s go figure out how to best work you in.”

Loki turned his eyes from Fury, settling instead on Rogers. He gave him a small bow of his head. “I’m at your disposal, Captain.”

You rolled over crawling from the fogginess of deep sleep. The pink rays of early sunlight broker through the cracks in the curtains. Frowning, you realized you were alone. Sitting up, you called out. “Loki?”

“Yes, my pet.” His form simmered into existence at the foot of the bed. “It’s early, why are you not sleeping?”

It took a moment for your brain to catch up with what you just saw. You frowned. “You’re not here, are you?”

Loki smile. “So perceptive. No, little one, I am downstairs meeting with Captain Rogers. Worry not. You should sleep some more.”

“No,” You stretched and kicked off the covers. “I’m up.”

“Mmm,” He purred drinking in the sight of your naked form. “Then I shall complete our meeting and join you shortly.”

You smiled, amazed the Loki standing in front of you wasn’t real. Although, you realized, you couldn’t smell him. He always smelled wonderful. “Finish what you’re doing. I’m just going to take a bath anyway.”

He chuckled. “In that case, I will be there all the sooner. Besides, I have news.”

A/N: Thanks to everyone for hanging in there. I’ve finally circled around to this and have four chapters in the works!

TAGS

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[hauntedbythefanficsofmypast]

Raise Your Voice Against Liars

By BeeTeeDubya14 & Naruwitch On Archive of Our Own

@thebigpapilio asked me if I accepted submissions and I do! This is a Miraculous + Persona 5 crossover, that they have been working on with their friend! While I don't actually know Persona 5, I read over the first chapter and found it very interesting! I thought for sure you'd all enjoy it as much as I did! So here is the first chapter! If you like it please go on to Archive of Our Own and give them some love!!

"We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin."

-Andre Berthiaume

Chapter 1: L'Interrogatoire

Sae leaned back, puzzled by what the prisoner just said, “So the Phantom Thieves only stole the heart of Futaba Sakura…? And Medjed was in turn defeated by her real-world hacking abilities…? Well, this does correlate to the facts as we know them…” 

Sae grew quiet, and her next sentence was mostly to herself, though she said it aloud. “If he’s telling the truth, then Wakaba Isshiki didn’t commit suicide… did a third party target her life with the goal of destroying her research? Wakaba’s death was two years ago… that also coincides with when the incidents started occurring… does this other Metaverse user that Madarame and Kaneshiro mentioned… really exist…?”

With a frown, she shook her head before turning her attention back to the captive, “Earlier I mentioned those psychotic breakdown incidents that have alarmed the public. All of a sudden, people will lose consciousness, or become violent… A situation as incomprehensible as that can’t be explained away as ‘troubled social conditions.’ I suspect that these cases are all connected to a larger, man-made plot. The method involved always muddled the explanation, but your story has virtually confirmed its viability. Although, I wouldn’t have expected a new criminal to come to light from your testimony…” Sae leaned closer to the prisoner, “What did your group think of this other Metaverse user?”

“You mean the true criminal?” he questioned.

Sae scoffed, “How self-centered of you. The Phantom Thieves tamper with people’s hearts without asking consent. How is that different?”

Sighing, Sae then continued to focus on the prisoner. “Well… no matter how you thought of them, there can be no doubting your resolve. Are those incidents because of you or someone else…? Either way, I will get to the bottom of this.”

Sae shook her head, and pulled out her briefcase again, “Now let’s move on to your next crime.” She pulled out a folder, just as she had the last four times and laid it in front of the teenager, “Lila Nikenna Rossi. An Italian student who was studying at Collège Françoise Dupont in Paris, France. This is the first known report of the Phantom Thieves targeting someone outside of Japan. Your testimony regarding this incident will be serious. I’m sure you understand why. Not only is she your first foreign target, but also the youngest target out of all that the Phantom Thieves have changed the heart of. Answer me carefully. Why did you go after her?”

Despite all the grogginess afflicting him, Akira Kurusu managed to faintly grin.

“We owed some good people a favor.”

Chapter 2: Wake up, Get up, Get Out (Of) There

"Are you sure you're going to be okay in Hawaii, Marinette?"

"Yes, Luka, I'll be fine," Marinette smiled as she pulled her luggage off the security belt.

"Remember, if you need to talk, at any time, please do it, okay? I don't care if it's 2 AM over here. If you need-"

"Luka, you're treating me like a child," Marinette said bluntly, but no heat was behind it.

The guitarist gasped on the other line, "No, no! That's not what I was implying, I just-"

Marinette giggled. That's one of the things she really liked about Luka. "That overprotective attitude isn't going to change anytime soon, is it?" That said, although there were times where he went a little overboard, he usually knew Marinette's limits. It seemed that he needed a small reminder before she departed for her flight, though.

Ever since Chloe's stunt as Miracle Queen, she and Luka had been dating steadily for several months. After Adrien had made it official with Kagami, Marinette struggled to move on and accept that it was better to simply be friends with the model. She, of course, didn't want to use the older Couffaine as a fallback guy, and she had made that clear to him shortly before they made it official too, but… Luka had been there for her when no one else was. She had been in a dark place, and there seemed to be no way out. But Luka provided the light she needed to find the exit.

As for Chloe herself? Well… once word got out about Hawkmoth's near victory, and Chloe's involvement with it, many citizens and even government officials spoke out against the mayor and other members of his staff for action to be taken. The incident with the metro tunnel was also brought up, as Chloe was never adequately punished for intentionally endangering so many people. Mayor Bourgeois, to appease the masses, was forced to send Chloe away to a boarding school in Sweden, at least until Hawkmoth was finally dealt with. That's where she'd been for the past five months, and Marinette hadn't heard from the blonde since.

She shook her head, ridding herself of such thoughts before they could fester. She was going to Hawaii for crying out loud! And she was going to have a blast! Nothing was going to change that. Not Hawkmoth, not Lila, and her lies, nothing would get in her way of having a fun time.

The thought of Hawkmoth had her hand subconsciously wander to her purse, where Tikki and Kaalki were situated. She was so lucky (heh, that would garner a laugh from Chat) that Kwamis didn't show up on cameras, much less on airport security x-rays machines. She would have had a field day trying to explain that to a security guard.

Luka gave a breathy laugh over the phone, "Sorry, a force of habit. Sorry I couldn't be there to see you or Jules off personally."

Marinette smiled. That had been the original plan, but as luck would have it, Luka got called in for an emergency shift by his boss at the very last minute, and there were no other people who could fill in.

"No problem, sometimes life happens like that. Although, even on vacation, Hawkmoth's Akumas always have the worst timing."

She could see Luka wincing on the other line, "Yeah, considering that Hawaii is practically on the opposite side of the world, it looks like you're in for some long nights. So sorry, babe."

She had the news app on high alert at all times, so the second an Akuma alert went up, she'd teleport back to Paris to deal with the Akuma as quickly as possible. She was grateful that Luka would be on standby with Sass as well, especially when Chat Noir alerted her that he would be out of town for the weekend as well.

"Yeah…"

"Marinette! We're about to board! Please come and join the class!" Mme. Bustier called from the boarding gate.

"Gotta go, Luka, I'll text you when we land in Tokyo!"

"Okay, be safe! Love you!"

"Love you too!"

There were, fortunately, no accidents or disruptions as Marinette boarded the plane and found her seat. After buckling up, Tikki and Kaalki poked their heads out of her little purse. The bag was small enough that Marinette wasn't required to put it under the seat, so long as it stayed flung over her shoulder. The little red Kwami winked at her holder, and Kaalki nodded. Marinette smiled at her little companions and pretended to listen to the flight attendant give the safety instructions.

It wasn't long before she watched from her window seat the plane take off from the tarmac. Once the pilot said they were at cruising altitude, Marinette pulled out her MP3 player and headphones and leaned back with a smile, the soft melody of Luka's guitar strings lulling her to sleep.

o~o

Marinette was awakened by the thump of the plane landing.

As she traversed the airport "with" her classmates (they were all hanging around Lila and leaving her alone), she noticed a pattern in the dress of many passersby, most of which were likely Japanese locals given that they were in Japan at the moment. Black & red seemed to be a common staple at this airport, more than occasionally accompanied by the words "Take Your Heart" and a weird logo of a domino mask and top hat. The words "Phantom Thieves" were sprawled across many of the logos too.

Marinette wanted to ask around as to what it all meant, but she didn't know a lick of Japanese and had places to be, so she moved on. She'd just look it up at the hotel.

She sent a quick text to Luka to let him know she'd arrived safely and was on her way to the hotel they'd be staying at for the night. Then she switched to the web, typing "Phantom Thieves" into the search engine. She found quite a few interesting things in a place called the "Phan-Site." There was apparently a group of vigilantes out there in Japan - Tokyo, specifically - calling themselves "The Phantom Thieves" with the power to "change people's hearts" (which seemed to mean making said people confess their crimes. How that worked, Marinette had no idea). So far, the Phantom Thieves had only taken down four major targets, their names, and information listed on the site. Marinette didn't recognize any of them, but when she typed up the names, she was immediately glad that these people had had "a change of heart."

The first, theorized to be the Thieves' very first target, was a man Suguru Kamoshida. He was apparently an Olympic volleyball medalist that taught at a high school called Shujin Academy. The Thieves targeted him because it was revealed that he was physically abusing and even sexually assaulting several students at the school. One of them even tried to commit suicide right in front of the student body because of it. Thankfully, this student survived their attempt. According to separate reports, the school was well aware of the abuse but didn't do a thing to stop it. Then, about a week after the suicide attempt, Kamoshida confessed to everything! The abuse, the assaults, everything.According to reports, it was like he was a completely different person, almost like his personality had changed entirely. He was now being held on bail and awaiting trial. Marinette hoped he went away forever!

The second person was a former artist named Ichiryusai Madarame. (Now that she thought about it, she could have sworn she saw his name on some art pieces at the Louvre for a limited time Japanese exhibit). He cultivated his own fame and fortune by sacrificing the livelihood of children. He took young artists into his home, a tiny shack, and then stole and plagiarized their work, passing it off as his own. Apparently, one of his victims was his own foster son. Just like with Kamoshida, Madarame, shortly after one of his exhibits closed, confessed to these crimes, his personality having shifted completely. Even though he seemed to show remorse, Marinette hoped he got what he deserved. This man reminded her too much of Bob Roth, especially when he stole Kitty Section's music and her costume designs.

Next was Junya Kaneshiro. This target was apparently what really allowed the Phantom Thieves' popularity to take off. He was a mafia boss that even the local authorities were struggling to arrest, even though his crimes were common knowledge in the Shibuya area. Then suddenly, he one day turned himself into the police. This one didn't have as much information. The police apparently tried to keep the arrest on the down-low due to the circumstances. The only reason the public found out the Phantom Thieves were involved was because of an abundance of calling cards that were scattered all over Shibuya. Kamoshida and Madarame had received similar cards before they confessed as well.

Finally, and this happened about a week ago, a group of international hackers, under the name Medjed, attempted a cyberwar against the Phantom Thieves and Japan itself. They threatened to ruin Japan's economy through a cyber attack unless the Phantom Thieves surrendered and revealed their identities to the public. They had set a deadline and everything. Then, the day before the deadline would have expired, the Phantom Thieves apparently stopped them, as Medjed's website was hacked with the Phantom Thief logo all over the webpage. Whether that was done by the Phantom Thieves themselves, or an avid supporter, no one knew, but Medjed was stopped, and Japan's economy remained stable.

Despite being vigilantes, Marinette genuinely believed the Phantom Thieves were helping the public overall by exposing corruption like this. Who knew what would still be happening if these people were still allowed to roam free? She didn't know how the Thieves convinced these people to confess their crimes and had no clue what "steal your heart" meant, though she had a feeling it wasn't something natural. Their actions seemed to be non-violent, though. None of their victims showed signs of physical injury or torture when they confessed. That was likely another reason the Phantom Thieves were receiving so much public support.

Marinette had learned a lot about destiny from Fu (it still hurt a little bit not referring to him as Master, even in her head), and the fact she was temporarily in the place where something this momentous, something this clearly magical was going on… she needed to look into this. But how? Nobody knew who the Phantom Thieves were, much less what they looked like! You could supposedly communicate with them via a proxy on the Phan-site, but no one has officially met any of them face-to-face. They seemed to be masters of blending into the crowd, not to mention the police weren't getting solid leads either.

What was even more confusing was that Tikki and Kaalki didn't know anything about this whole thing either.

"I've never heard of "changing people's hearts" in the way it's described here," Tikki admitted, referring to the Phan-Site.

"Hmm… maybe Ziggy knows something? She's the kwami of Imagination, so she's the one most connected to the mind," Kaalki suggested.

"Alright, I'll talk to Ziggy when we get back to Paris," Marinette nodded. She hoped the Goat Kwami had a possible answer.

"Hmmm… I wonder if Kagami knows anything about them," Marinette wondered aloud, glancing over at Alix, who was snoring in the bed next to hers. Surprisingly, Alix had volunteered to room with Marinette, which shocked her. She and Alix were friends, but not like how she and Alya used to be. Now that she thought about it, though, Alix may still listen to Lila's stories, but it seemed to be more out of politeness than actual interest now. If anything, for the last month or so, when Alix and Lila interacted, the skater just looked bored with the Italian. Could it be that the skater was catching onto Lie-la's lies?

Deciding to check if her theory had merit, Marinette sent a text to the fencer, asking if she had heard of the Phantom Thieves or not. She got a reply a few minutes later. Kagami had heard of them, but she didn't know much about them either. She and her mother had been living in Paris for about a year and a half, and the Phantom Thieves had only surfaced only a few months ago, so she didn't have much information apart from a few Japanese news articles and some online searches.

Marinette sighed and began to put her phone away when an Akuma alert blew up her screen.

"Perfect timing, Hawkmoth," she muttered sarcastically as she got up and tiptoed to the bathroom. She turned on the light to make it look like she was simply using the toilet before letting the two kwamis slip out of her purse, "Let's deal with this quickly! Tikki, spots on!"

One magical transformation later, Ladybug stood in all her glory in the tiny Tokyo bathroom. She quickly pulled out Kaalki's glasses and slipped them on. "Tikki, Kaalki, unify!"

o~o

It was about thirty minutes later that Ladybug (Lady Horseshoe with both Miraculous active) stepped back into the hotel bathroom. By the time that she had gotten to the actual fight, Luka, clothed as his new hero alias Kobra, had managed to corner the Akuma and figure out where the item was. One Lucky Charm later, and two shots of Second Chance, according to the snake hero, the Akuma was purified, and everything returned to normal in Paris.

She was also equally grateful that Kobra seemed calm after the fight ended. There had been fights in the past that had left the hero shaking, eyes wide with barely masked horror. One fight had him clinging to Ladybug afterward for about two minutes before she convinced him to let go of her. Even after that, it had taken the night being alone, lots of tears, and cuddling for Luka to finally calm down and accept that everything was okay.

During these moments was when Marinette was reminded that the Snake Miraculous was sometimes considered the most dangerous of the Miraculous. Not only did it make the holder a problematic opponent in combat, but the mental load it carried for the holder itself could take its toll over time. Luka had seen some things as both Viperion and Kobra, some that took more time to process and work through than others.

It had taken Luka a while to understand that he could talk to someone about what was going on. Due to his own family dynamics, and his selfless nature, Luka wasn't used to talking about his own problems, and usually preferred to work through them on his own. Over time though, this wore the guitarist down, to the point that he couldn't hide it anymore. This was one of the factors that convinced Marinette, as the Guardian, to make Luka a permanent holder. Sass had been an excellent help for Luka to process the many 'bad endings' he was forced to witness as part of his power. However, there were sometimes days where talking to the little kwami wasn't enough, which was why the couple had the rule of calling the other whenever they needed to speak. Even if it was in the middle of the night.

Other factors contributed to this decision too, but Marinette was too exhausted to dwell on them for now as she snuck out of the bathroom. To her relief, Alix was still asleep and seemed oblivious to what had happened.

After grabbing a macaroon for Tikki and a sugar cube for Kaalki (both of which she picked up in Paris), Marinette quickly climbed into her own bed and was asleep within seconds.

[villainousshakespeare]

Learning a Lesson Chapter 9

iLearning a Lesson Chapter 8

Part 1 Here, Part 2 Here, Part 3 Here, Part 4 Here, Part 5 Here, Part 6 Here, Part 7 Here, Part 8 Here

Young Actor Tom Hiddleston/OFC

Rated E -Smut, Angst, Complicated Relationship - Teacher/Actor Posing as Student, Feels, Flirting, Fluff, Oral Sex, Sex, Shower Sex, Threats, Breakups, Angst…

ANGST IN THIS CHAPTER! (but don’t worry… I’m a hopeless romantic)

Summary: It’s your first day as a teacher and things are going well. That is, until a tall, gorgeous boy with blond curls and dramatic ways saunters into your last class. When he ignores all the swooning girls to flirt outrageously with you, it is secretly thrilling. Even more so is when he tries to steal a kiss after class ends. How long will you be able to keep your defenses up?

Up and Coming actor Tom is under cover in high school for  research for a movie, but the pretty drama teacher is making the long assignment so much more enjoyable

@arch-venus25​, @caffiend-queen​ @ciaodarknessmyheart​ @frostbitten-written​ @just-the-hiddles​ @kellatron55​ @myoxisbroken​ @nonsensicalobsessions​ @poetic-fiasco​ @shiningloki​ @shae-annelore​ @thecutestlittlebunbunfairy​ @hiddlesholic​ @yespolkadotkitty​ @vodka-and-some-sass​ @wolfsmom1​ @tom-hlover​ @toozmanykids​ @delightfulheartdream​ @whyispistashanuttaken​ @hopelessromanticspoonie​; @loki-yoursaviourishere​ @is-it-madness​

The Monday morning walk to school was the longest of Emily's life. With every step she took she was tempted to turn around and run the other way, hiding under her blankets and weeping rather than going on. Only a deep seated stubborn streak kept her from giving in to her fears and doing just that.

She needn't have worried. Tom was true to his word. There was no sign of him to be found in school. No infectious laugh ringing through the hallway, no tousled halo of blond hair floating above the shorter students amidst a throng of admirers, and no ice blue eyes seeking hers for a secret wink or speaking glance.

Emily told herself it was for the best. She hoped she would eventually believe it.

The other god-send was that Jim Howard seemed to have called in sick. A substitute was in his classroom when she got there, and never had she been so glad to see the old woman than she was that day. She assumed that it was his pride that kept him from walking into the building with a black eye and a swollen jaw, and took evil delight in the fact that Tom had so thoroughly trounced him.

Tom. There he was again. She could not go five minutes without calling him to mind. It was going to be a long day. Hell, it was going to be a long forever as far as she knew. How long would it take to get over the golden boy who had so completely won her heart?

Half a day was how long it took for the news of his exit to hit the school grapevine. Emily began hearing his name whispered during her fourth period class. By the time that class ended and she made her way to the staff lounge it was all anyone was talking about. Ada, Janis, and Mike were gossiping about it when she came in, a pathetic lunch of coffee and a banana in her hand.

"Well, anyone with eyes could have seen that that boy should be a movie star," Janis was opining. "It doesn't surprise me one bit."

"Oh, come on Janis," Mike laughed, skepticism showing, "he was handsome, sure, but there's no way you saw this coming!"

"I'm not saying that," Janis sniffed. "Obviously I didn't know he was an actor. But if anyone in this school was destined for greatness it was Martinsson."

"Hiddleston," Mike corrected her. "Apparently that's his real name. You're awfully quiet, Emily. You were close with the boy, weren't you? Tutoring him after hours and all?"

"Not that close," she said with a half shrug. "He claimed to want help with an audition monologue, but that was obviously for show. We never actually worked on it. Just class."

The words were true enough as far they went, even if the meaning behind them was an all out lie.

"Still, he clearly preferred you," Ada said, giving her a probing look. "I heard all sorts of chatter about how he always flirted with you, volunteering to read romantic scenes with you. I was a little jealous, to tell the truth. I mean, and I can say it now that I know he's a genuine adult - what I wouldn't have given for a chance to sculpt a nude of that boy!"

"No wonder Howard hated him so much," Mike laughed good naturedly. "It seems it's not just the high school girls who had a thing for him."

Emily did her best to tune them out after that, and took to eating in her classroom. The days blended into each other, with no end of the day secret to make them stand out as special.

The kids in her drama class were all excited of course. The thought that they had read scenes with an honest to goodness actor, one who was going to be starring in a movie, made them practically giddy. Kate began recirculating the lie that the two of them had been involved, and no one dared to correct her. Emily was angry on his behalf, offended that anyone would believe he would fool around with a student, until she realized the implications of that thought.

It was that guilt that was the worst. Well, along with the loneliness. Even if he had been an adult, she hadn't known that. She had thought him no different than Kate or Zack or Jamie, and she had slept with him anyway. She deserved all the pain she was feeling. Deserved more than that; to loose her job and never be hired again, even. More and more she slipped into a depression.

It was nine days after she had thrown him out of her apartment and her life that the first letter arrived. She grabbed her mail from the small slot inside the door and rifled through it on the way up the stairs as she always did, expecting nothing more than bills and solicitations. When she turned over an envelope addressed in an instantly recognizable hand, she felt as though she had been punched in the gut. Hands shaking, she opened the seal, afraid that if she didn't do it at once she would never find the courage, and unfolded a letter.

"My Darling Emily," it began in Tom's loopy mess of long hand, "I know I have no right to write to you, having broken your trust in the most caddish way possible. I only hope that you will allow me the opportunity to once more take advantage of your goodness of heart and kindness of disposition, that I may try to explain why I orchestrated such a hurtful charade.

"As you are patently aware now, I am an actor of both stage and screen. I take my profession very seriously, perhaps more so than it deserves, though I like to believe that you among all women will understand why. If I can peel away the layers of a character enough to expose the beating heart within, allowing my audience to sees even a piece of the truth of humanity in my portrayal, then I truly believe that I am contributing something to this shared experience we all are living. Pretentious as that sounds, it is my goal every time I assume a role, be it Iago or a soldier, or even Mr. Toad.

"When I was cast as a student from the States, I knew I had my work cut out for me. I was educated, I blush to say my love, in the best schools in England: Eton, Cambridge, and RADA. My good fortune has been quite excessive, I know, though no teacher I encountered in all of my tutelage could hold a candle to you, my darling. In any case, I was woefully unprepared to know the struggle such a young man was going through. My director came up with the idea to have me pose in a small town school, and I admit I leapt at the chance.

"Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would meet the woman of my dreams in such a situation.

"I confess that in the beginning I flirted with you to amuse myself. You are quite breathtakingly beautiful, my sweet, and I was bored beyond belief. As the days went on, however, I began to uncover the woman underneath the starched blouses and pencil skirts. A woman with a mind that soared and a soul that sung. One who shared my passion for stage poetry, and did not back down from a challenge.

"In short, my darling Emily, I fell in love with you.

"I should have told you the moment our relation crossed over the line. Alas my love, I fear that it is a coward who worships you. I was afraid that if you learned the truth you would be angry, and I wanted to collect as many precious moments with you as I could before your warm eyes turned cold. My sin is great, I know. I do not deserve to be forgiven. Nonetheless, I place my heart at your feet in hope that you will take it up, take pity on me, and not stomp it beneath your shoe.

"The film I am working on seized the opportunity afforded by my early matriculation to begin shooting. I am relocated to New York City to start principal photography. I know it is a mere two hours from you, and yet it feels the length of the world. Knowing I will not see you each day, hold you at night, is a weight on my soul that I know I have only myself to blame for.

"I ask nothing of you, my dearest Emily, but that you allow me to write to you. I do not expect you to write back, although I live in hope that one day you will. The distance keeps us apart, but perhaps that need not be all bad. Perhaps it can give you time to heal and to trust me once more. Let me write to you, to tell you about myself - my real self - and try to win your friendship back if nothing else. It has been the most important of my life.

"I do not flatter myself that I will ever hold you again, kiss your soft lips, feel you beneath me as you gasp in passion. I have too great a mark against me to hope for such grace. I would die to have it, but will not impose it on you. Just let me try to heal the hurt I have done, and I will be content.

"If you cannot find it within you to accept my offer of friendship in the form of epistles, simply write me with one word. 'Stop' and I will cease. You are in control, my heart. I will bow to your wishes.

"Please take good care of yourself, my Emily. I wish I could be their to tend to you myself. Be warry of the dread maths teacher. I know it is no longer my place, but I would ask you to not be alone around him.

"Enough of that. I will end for now. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.

"My heart is yours.

All my love,

Tom."

Emily read the letter through, barley able to make out the words through the tears welling in her eyes. When she had finished, she collapsed onto the bed and read it through again, openly weeping this time. All of the pain and guilt she had been holding in came flooding out. In the end, she had to put the letter aside so that the deluge of her tears didn't permanently mar the ink composing the lines. By then she knew it by heart, but she still loved to see his strong hand scrawled out over the page.

She did not for a moment consider writing him to stop. Perhaps she should have. There was no future she could see for the two of them. Her trust had been shattered, along with her mental image of herself, by the situation. On top of that, he was away, filming a movie in the big city that she rarely went to. When this movie was ended, who knew where he would be? Jetting off to exotic countries? Treading the boards in London? His life was exciting and adventurous, and she was a little mouse of a school teacher from a small town. How could they hope to make a relationship work, even without their drama?

The letters came far more frequently than she had expected. While it was not every day, Tom was clearly grasping every spare moment he had to pour out his heart to her. He told her all about the filming process. She felt as though she knew his costars, so vividly did he depict them. Against her will, Emily would find herself laughing at ridiculous anecdotes, or groaning in commiseration at delays in the shooting.

In the midst of all of these tales of misadventures and productivity, Tom made clear to he still hoped to win Emily back. He never missed an opportunity to praise her, calling her darling, his sweet, his dear, his love. He mentioned how he had suggested that one of the teachers should be young, smart, and sexy as an homage to her, though no one could possibly do her justice. He let slip that he had been making his costars groan with his continual referencing her, to the point where they teased him any time her name arose.

At the end of each letter he dropped all pretense, stating plainly that he loved her and would do anything to win her back. He insisted that he would wait, that the decision was entirely hers, but that he lived in hope that one day she would write him back, telling him she forgave him. Until that day, he would soldier on and try to deserve her.

Several times Emily found herself sitting down, trying to pen a reply to him. She wanted, desperately wanted, to do so. But each time, the fear would come crashing down and she would end up tearing the letter to shreds.

About two months after the letters started, there was a longer than usual gap between arrivals. Emily began to think that he had given up on her, and a panic she had never felt gripped her. She had not realized the extent to which she had been living for his words.

When an envelope finally arrived, it was in an international envelope, and the return address was London, England. That was it, then. He was out of the country. All of the stories of his homecoming, complete with welcoming family, were a dagger to her. He still professed his love, but now an actual ocean separated them along with the sea of emotion.

Their were two more letters, spread over a month and a half, and then nothing for three weeks. Depression returned. She had all but given up when a card shaped envelope, gilded on the edges, arrived in her box.

***

"Alright, out with it!"

Emily looked up from the pile of papers she was grading to see Ada standing in her classroom door, arms crossed over her paint splattered apron and a determined look on her face.

"Out with what?" Emily asked, confusion genuine.

"It's been four months, Emily," the older woman said, shutting the door behind her as she walked in and sat at one of the student desks. The same desk, Emily couldn't help but note, that had once been Tom's.

"Sorry?"

"Four months that you have been moping around! Barely showing your face in the teacher's lounge, looking like someone stole your dog and kicked your kitten. This, from the girl who was such a spark of joy when she was hired that she even ignited passion for teaching in an old war horse like me!"

"I'm sorry," Emily mumbled.

"Don't be sorry, girl! Tell me what's wrong!"

"It's nothing."

"Emily, do you think I'm blind?" Ada asked with a sigh.

"No..."

"Or that I'm stupid?"

"Of course not!"

"Good," Ada snorted. "As I am neither. Four months ago, a certain long-legged boy with more looks than are good for anyone swaggered out of this school, and you have been a ghost ever since. It's not hard to put the pieces together."

Emily gaped at her, all color draining from her face. If Ada knew, or strongly suspected, was it then general knowledge? Was her shame a joke amongst the faculty, or a cause of scorn?

"Don't worry, hun," Ada said, as though reading her mind. "Most of the people around here are blind and stupid. No one else has any idea. Well, maybe Jim, but that's a whole other can of worms that I am not too keen on digging around in. So, you fell for the boy, huh?"

"You must despise me," Emily said, voice hardly above a whisper.

"So you're failing is that you're deaf," Ada shook her head. "How many times did you hear me rhapsodize about him? Hell, I was undressing him with my eyes every damn day!"

"But you never took it farther than that."

"No, I didn't. But then I am decades older than either one of you and was not given the opportunity. Who knows what I might have done if he had batted those long golden lashes at me and flashed a dimple."

"You wouldn't have slept with a student," Emily said doggedly.

"Is that what this is? That you feel guilty? Tell me something, Emily: would you ever even consider anything inappropriate with say... Jack Simmons, or Zach Lewis, or Dan Fielding? Would it even occur to you?"

"No," Emily said at once, repulsed by the very idea.

"Of course not. Because they are children. The Simmons boy is a hulking child, true, but even though he is big, he is still an adolescent. You can easily tell in a moment he is not an adult. Now, compare that to Tom. He has a baby face, and is all gangly, but there was something about him that flatly identified him as a man. You knew that, instinctively. That is why you let things play out the way you did."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I know you," Ada said simply. "You are a good person, with a moral compass. Was it a stupid thing to do? Of course! It could have ended horribly for you, and thank god it didn't! But don't beat yourself up for listening to your intuition when it turned out to be right! Even if the boy did end up being a snake."

"What if he wasn't?" Emily asked carefully.

"I just assumed... he left, and you didn't seem happy about it... Emily, what did happen?"

Emily looked at her friend, chewing on her lip as she decided what to say. Ada already knew the worst; what harm could it do to let her in on the rest? In a rush it all came out. The clandestine affair, the trouble with Mr. Howard, seeing Tom on Nicholas Nickleby, their disastrous fallout, all of it. Ada sat there rapt as Emily spilled the whole sordid story.

"He really punched Jim?" Ada asked when she had finished, a huge grin spread over her face.

"Twice," Emily confirmed, answering smile on her own mouth. "Hard. Knocked him flat onto the ground."

"Oh, would I have loved to have seen that."

"I could have lived without it, honestly."

"Oh, hun, I don't know what to tell you," Ada shook her head. "I don't even know whether to feel jealous of you sorry for you. Both, I suppose. Ah, to be young again."

"He's been writing me letters," Emily confessed, face reddening. "Ever since he left."

"What does he say?" Ada's eyes were huge.

"Different things. How his day is going. About the filming. That he loves me and wants to be with me."

"Well what the hell are you doing here then?" Ada stood from the desk to stare at her.

"Ada..."

"Girl, if that young man wanted me, you can bet that nothing would keep me away!"

"He's in London," she muttered.

"Did something happen to all the airplanes?"

"No... In fact..."

"In fact what, Emily? Spill it? Give a woman something to live vicariously through!"

With a sigh, Emily dug through her bag and pulled out the card she had received the day before. It was an invitation to a movie premiere in New York City. Folded along with that was a train ticket, prepaid first class, and a small note:

    "I would not wish Any companion in the world but you,      Nor can imagination form a shape, Besides yourself, to like of.

     Tom (with all thanks to Miranda in The Tempest)"

"Well," Ada smiled at her, "when shall we go shopping? You, my dear, are going to need a dress!"

[lokispettigerr]

Swimming Amongst the Stars: Jotun!Loki x Reader (NSFW) SMUT

Summary: While vacationing at a mountain cabin, reader traverses the mountainside. Against warnings from a neighbor, she goes where danger is sure to ensue and sparks fly until they melt away a heart shrouded in ice. 

Warnings: Depression mention. Way too many kinks that even I do not understand. The characters wanted them there. BEWARE!

Word Count: 3362

General Taglist: @njavezan @lovelyxserpent-br @kamaroon @britkane-shsl-librarian @not-made-of-glass @archy3001 @witch-loki @purplekitten30 @mad-doctor-mew @bakerstreethound @jmb959 @little-moonbeam-666 @hiddlestoner3059 @bingewatchingmylifegoby @fkngparadise @lucywindigo @screw-real-life-i-pick-fandoms @chocolatealmondmilkk @mellowgirl01 @fyeahlitaajpunk @drakesfiance @wicked-starlight-collector @kenzieam @sherlocksuperfan666 @confessionsofastrugglingteen @joseyslo @ms-munchkin @saintwiz @thathedonistgirl @thegrandmasterschampion @this-side-of-midnight5  @scorpionchild81 @hanginbyadream @lokislilslut @vioietta @rainthekittycatsblog @fire-in-her-veinz @cutie1365 @puff1408 @joyofbebbanburg @brokenthelovely @tehgvicious @lovelylazerbeams @fyrecrafted @lilith-akemi @sarcsep @alexakeyloveloki @lotus-eyedindiangoddess @iris-suoh @brucesflightattendant666 @station1485 @disney-kingdom-hearts @bluestaratsunrise @devilbat @smolangstbean @dangertoozmanykids101  @barelyreality @laochbaineann @steampowerednightvaler @shockwavee @wegingerangelica @nightrose64  @wegingerangelica @calamity-queen @mischeviousliar @zainabmmm @micki-smiles @pinkzz123​ @rightfulkingofjotunheim​ @cyenakarma​ @holykryptonitekitten​ @majoringinlife​ @amberlokabrenna​  @avenging-blackwidow​  @dragon--dragon​ @onelazy-cat​ @nothungry4humanflesh​ @doralupin01​ @hp-hogwartsexpress​ @cherrygeek86​ @fandoms-wither-me-away​ @pyewhackette​ @vodka-and-some-sass​ @fiftyshadesofrebel​ Taglist: @bladeofanarchangel​ @p6tter​

A/N: I almost didn’t release this fic after asking you all about Patreon; all I wanted was a response not any pledge of a first born child or anything. I literally got one response. I feel used and completely obsolete- that people only care about me when I give them fictions. Who knew being a tumblr Dragon was oh so lonely. Yet, here I am, depressed as ever. At least I have my writing. 

“You need a break,” they said. “It’ll be fun,” they said-- Relax.

How can I possibly relax? I’m staying in a 200-year-old mountain cottage without any modern insulation in the dead of winter. 

There wasn’t even a word to describe how I felt. In short, I was miserable-- a lightweight and someone who is far more cold-natured than not. I needed heat to thrive, where others may die of heatstroke, I reveled in it. 

The phone rang shrilly and I fished it out of my pocket, my cold fingers moving clumsily. The caller ID read, “Kendra.” 

“Hey, sis.”

“Still alive I see,” Kendra said, our connection distorting her voice. 

“Barely, I’m beginning to think I might lose a few fingers.”

“That would be a disappointment,” she laughed. 

“Mom and Dad wouldn’t see it that way.”

“Sh, you. Speaking of Dad, he thought you might enjoy a trek up the mountain.”

“Kendra, you can’t be serious! It’s covered in snow and wild animals.” 

“Well, he thought the mountain air might do you some good.” 

“Spoken like someone who wants to get rid of the family low-life,” I teased. 

I knew my Dad, Kendra, and my Mom were just trying to help-- looking out for me as it was. I was depressed and not only had it taken a toll on me, but it had also taken a toll on my family. They watched me suffer and I watched them suffer for it. 

I wanted to come to the mountain cottage if nothing more than to give them a break and escape from the worried looks and concerned whispers. 

Dad was right; I needed to do something and maybe hiking up the mountain would make me feel better. 

I resolved tomorrow would be the day I would hike my way up the mountain-- depression be damned. 

\\\\\

Early that evening, before the sun went down, I ventured out to the covered shed. 

The snow was falling lazily in fat flakes that clung to my hair. I was mesmerized by the crunch of the snow beneath my boots when a voice sounded out.

“Need some help?”

I looked up and was met by a friendly and familiar face.

“Hey, Mr. Bill! Naw, I am just taking some logs in to feed the fire.”

“You look well. Just let me know if you need anything.” He paused, looking down at his boots, “Nancy was wondering if you wanted to join us for dinner tomorrow.”

“Really, I’m fine.” I knew my Dad had likely called Mr. Bill to tell him to keep an eye on me, like I was some invalid unfit for basic survival and make no mistake, I was, but I didn’t want my family or Mr. Bill to know that. 

Squinting, I looked up at the sky, “I would, Mr. Bill, but I was planning on hiking up the mountain.”

“Then Thursday night,” he persisted.

“Yeah, okay... That sounds nice. I’ll see you in two days.”

“If not before! Don’t be a stranger.” Mr. Bill turned to walk back towards his home but stopped in his tracks. 

“Oh and uh.” Mr. Bill removed his cap to scratch at his bald head underneath, “Just be careful out there. There has been talk that a bear is up on the mountain causing chaos and mischief.”

“I’ll be careful. I always am.”

\\\\\\

I had awoken early. I wanted to hike with as much daylight as I could so as not to get lost or encounter any angry, furry foes.  

Before heading out I decided to warm up in front of the fire, holding my hands towards the growing flames-- it was the warmest I would be for several hours. 

I had made sure to put enough logs on the fire to keep it burning until my return. 

I opened the door and was met with a brutally cold blast of wind. Slinging my pack over my shoulder, I stepped outside. 

The snow was mushy underneath my boots and I sank slightly with each step. 

My fingers closed around the straps on my pack, snuggly and I walked away from the solace and cozy warmth of the cottage into the alien world beyond. 

\\\\\\

The sun had begun its creeping cadence of descent across the sky and I knew it was best if I turned back and started my own descent back down the mountain. 

It had been an eventful hike. I’d witnessed twin does frolicking and other  manner of peaceful wildlife thriving in the cold. 

I arrived at the edge of a snowy cliff, taking in the view all around me. While the frigid air cut to the bone, the sight before me warmed my heart. 

A beautiful frozen stream lay below-- it was as smooth as glass and shined bright like a tumbled crystal. 

I sat on a nearby rock that jutted out from the snow and slung my pack around. I had packed a heated thermos just for this occasion.

My numb, gloved fingers closed clumsily around the lid and I unscrewed it. The liquid steamed with the air as I poured it into the top and gripped it tightly. 

A shadow fell upon me and I glanced up to find a bird of prey drifting in a lazy circle. 

I lowered my gaze, bringing the steaming tea to my lips and took a long sip.

Everything seemed so serene until it wasn’t. 

In my periphery, a shadow moved and a sentience crossed my own. 

However the energy I now felt was unmistakably lethal. 

Mr. Bill’s warning of the ferocious, chaos-rampaging bear came into my thoughts. 

On my way here, I had seen no signs of such a creature, yet I had found myself repeatedly shaking the unnerving feeling that I was being watched. 

The next seconds would be vital. I needed to know where the foe was to quickly plan my escape. 

I scanned the close outcropping and trees that were my surroundings hoping to catch a glimpse of the menacing bear. 

A white bear pelt was before me, almost invisible in the swirling drifts of snow. 

I squinted, hoping to get a better look at the bear Mr. Bill had warned me about-- instead, I saw a man. 

He was the most captivatingly beautiful creature I had ever seen yet his otherworldliness was a warning and a shock to my system. 

I felt as frozen as the river below me-- mesmerized by the man’s hypnotic, blood-red gaze. 

Fear enveloped me in an instant as I took in his midnight blue skin covered with what appeared to be intricate tattoos. 

What was most shocking, more than his tattooed skin or his red eyes, was his state of near undress. 

The man’s chest was bare and the setting sunlight glinted on his sculpted skin like fire reflecting off of a piece of volcanic glass. 

A white pelt covered his back, which was why I mistakenly thought at first glance he was a wild animal-- and I remained not entirely convinced he was not. The pelt was held together in the front with flashy, golden medallions inscribed with ancient and ethereal symbols. His legs were covered with the same white pelt as his cloak.

I slowly backed away. The heel of my boot thudded against my pack causing it to jostle. I knelt, stretching out my hand to grab at the strap, my fingers flailing frantically in the air. 

The man stepped towards me-- his red eyes burned like two ferocious blood moons in his skull. 

The pack would have to wait. 

I turned, dashing away, a prey animal desperately clinging to the hope of life away from the deadly predator. 

My hair fanned out behind me as if the wind was raking its fingers through it-- trying to pull me back to my destiny. I ran as fast as I was able, my arms pumping back and forth, my breath puffing out in a heavy mist-- a ghost leaving my body. 

With a backward glance, I checked to see if the man was in pursuit.

While my head was turned to analyze the situation, I tripped. My toes stubbed hard into a rock. I went down, bracing for the impact. 

The snow did not soften the blow from the jutting stone slab. A splitting pain ignited my skull. My eyelids fluttered as I tried to remain conscious.

Before everything went black, the beautiful monster’s face loomed before me-- swimming amongst the stars and in truth, it looked like he belonged there. 

Yet, he was arguably more captivating than any constellation. 

\\\\\\\

I drifted, slow as the snow, through wake and sleep. 

I felt as if I was floating or dangling between to dangerous precipes. I would see the man before me, his eyes cutting through the darkness that enveloped us like the cool touch of the dead.   

His bare chest was against me, solid as a wall, feeling both like frigid ice and an erotic, white-hot, soul-searing heat that radiated from within-- two extremes that felt unholy together.

As he carried me further into the dark and through the flurries of falling snow, I was gently rocked back to sleep. 

I woke to the sensation of heat on my face. 

For once on this god-forsaken mountain, I was warm. I wanted to drift back to sleep but my head throbbed painfully, bringing back the memories of what had happened. 

Images flew through my head unwarranted, my cheek against a man’s chest, a white pelt that glowed as bright as the moon tickling my skin, a rhythmic swaying that felt like a safe place to rest. 

I stirred, blinking to clear my double-vision. 

Before me, two red eyes, blood moons engulfed in flames, glowed. I had seen them before. 

I jumped, the man from earlier was watching me. My breath puffed out as my back thudded against solid rock. 

My palms stretched out behind me to feel at the wall of a lichen covered cave. 

The man continued to watch me from the other side of the dancing flames between us. 

He had brought me here, laid me down, started a fire, and covered me in fur blankets-- seemed harmless enough despite his unusual and slightly alarming appearance. 

“Where am I?” My voice echoed off the walls. 

He continued to watch me, “You’ve not left the mountain you found me on.” His voice was smooth yet muted, making it seem like he had not spoken in centuries. And what did he mean, “found him”? I had no desire or plan to get kidnapped by a half-naked man, regardless of how devastatingly attractive he was. 

One thing was certain, the longer I looked at him, the more familiar he seemed-- it was a painful feeling that caused my heart to beat erratically with ache and my lungs feeling fit to burst. 

“Who are you?”

“A ghost from your past; a clouded memory of your future.” A sad look came into those red eyes and I fought the urge to reach out and stroke his cheek in an attempt to chase the shadows of sorrow away. 

My confusion continued to grow. 

“Who are you?” My voice softened and for a moment I wondered if the man had even heard me. 

“I have gone by many names, but you would know me by the name Loki.”

The name shot like a fuse across the darkest recesses of my mind, a lightning strike in my memory. 

I tasted the name on my lips, “Loki.”

My eyes widened with an overwhelming realization. Saying his name seemed to have lifted a block from my memory-- a magic spell that fashioned a key fit to unlock a single door. 

I said it again, missing the taste of it on my tongue, “Loki.”

Each time I spoke his name, he relaxed into the sound of my voice and the hypnotic supplicance of my lips. 

He moved around the fire, his hand reaching out towards my temple. As his fingers lightly brushed against my skin, visions flashed within my mind. 

Of bare skin tangled up together.

Of laughter shared and tears shed.

Of a heartbreaking separation bridging to a union and giving birth to love that was infinite. 

Over and over, time after time until it reached this very moment. 

“I remember you… How is this even possible?”

“You remember now, but you will not remember later.” He paused, “You are lured here each year.”

“Lured?” I asked, but he continued. 

“Each year since our first encounter with one another, you are slowly overcome with a consuming melancholy until you return to me.”

“But you make me forget,” I interjected, anger making my blood pressure rise. I was tired of his riddles.  

He was right, each year since childhood, I’d made my way up the mountain in search of him. First as friends and later as lovers. 

And each year when I would leave, he’d wipe my memory of him. 

He has explained to me numerous times his convictions and reasons and knows his own heartache by remembering me until I return to him. 

“I don’t want to forget.”

“But you must.”

I shifted towards Loki and all the while he watched me, pupils dilated. 

“Not anymore.” My lips found his and as they locked together fireworks burst beyond my vision, my skin burned and my womanhood was overcome with a hungry, insatiable, wet heat that made my clitoris swell. 

Something stirred in me and made me no more than an animal with desires of the same. 

“Not anymore,” I whispered against his lips. 

“Evermore.” His icy breath was a frigid blast that felt like a threat. 

His hand went around my throat, to display his dominance and I submitted. 

“You smell like cinders and smoke,” he whispered. He released my throat and grabbed at a lock of my hair to twirl it around his finger. 

“How fitting,” he reflected, “the only thing to melt the ice of my soul.”

“Take me,” I breathed. 

My flesh held memory of his touch and my breath became ragged as his hand slid along my skin. 

Like fire and ice the world ended, completely consumed. 

Loki climbed above me. His fingers traced the edge of my skin until he found my nipples. He tugged and pulled as arousal swirled deep between my hips. 

His warm lips caressed my neck, drawing lower to my collar bone. His kisses and icy breath caused a trail of goosebumps to raise on my skin. 

With each kiss, each moan, each bump of his hard cock against me I grew more impatient and excited.

His teeth closed around my nipple, and he bit down until I cried out from the sharp pain and then swirling his tongue around them soothingly. He had me. 

All the while longing grew in my belly and I could feel my opening becoming wet for him. 

He continued to suck on my nipples and kiss my heaving breasts while his fingers danced their way to my clit. 

As soon as his fingertips began to caress me, I hissed with pleasure-- the sensation was a riptide that rolled through me. 

His fingers moved around my clit and I came embarrassingly fast, my abdomen tightening until I rose up off the floor of the cave, crying out his name and demanding for more. In the midst of my release, Loki’s hand grabbed his cock and directed it to my opening. 

I could feel it stiffen harshly as it pushed against my inner thigh and then with urgency against my labium. 

My core swelled with arousal as Loki slid into me. 

The sensation that followed was such a complete fullness that made me feel as if I would burst-- the pressure caused a moan to escape my lips. 

“Oh, please,” I begged, “Don’t stop. Fill me up.”

Loki grunted in response and his thrusts deepened as his hips curved and ground against my ass. 

“Take my seed in your slick cunt and I’ll save some for your mouth.”

His words sent me spiraling, the skin around my vagina grew slick with arousal. 

His head bowed towards my breasts and his teeth closed around my nipple-- my eyes watered and I cried out, but it only made him rougher. 

He pushed deeper and his pace quickened. 

A growl rippled through his chest and I felt his cock convulse inside of me as he filled me. 

I hadn’t thought I could feel much fuller, but his cum was heavy in my already full-of-his-cock belly. There couldn’t have been much room but he continued to pump into me. 

I glanced down, sure that I would visibly see the head of his cock buried deep in my lower belly. 

My eyes widened, pupils dilating. 

Loki withdrew himself, dripping wet with the concoction of our combined juices. 

“Open your mouth, let me mark you there.” 

I pushed weakly against him. 

“I’m too full, I couldn’t possibly take anymore,” I pleaded. 

“Open your mouth,” he repeated, his red eyes glowed with a fury that dared me to defy him. 

I parted my lips and he put his index finger my mouth, hooking my jaw up, and elongating my throat to better take his long length in. 

Nothing about Loki’s next movements were gentle. 

His fingers knotted in my hair and he shoved himself over and over again deep in my throat, my saliva coated his length and dripped from his tip whenever he withdrew, his sides heaving. 

My eyes watered, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying myself. 

I glanced at Loki’s towering form before me.

When my eyes met his I sent him over the edge-- a sorceress sucking his soul from his body. 

His abdomen flexed and he bowed over me, his mouth opening while his eyes closed from his pleasure. 

I swallowed him, fighting the urge to spit out what he poured into me, knowing my belly couldn’t take much more-- the pressure from earlier was too intense. 

Amazingly, as if reading my mind, Loki reached down to stroke my swollen-from-arousal-and-cum belly. 

It felt like some immaculate touch; he prodded and massaged it until the feeling of being close to bursting dissipated. 

I sighed with contentedness as Loki settled down beside me. 

“Please, don’t make me forget,” I pleaded. 

I had decided that remembering him and being without him, no matter how painful it was, was better than not at all. 

“I’m truly sorry,” he said as he gathered himself and stood, walking away.

His skin glowed in the firelight, like a ghost flame of the deepest blue. 

If I was ever to remember, now was my chance. 

I searched around for a weapon and ended my search on a nearby smoldering stick cast into the fire. 

My hands closed around it and it shook in my grasp. 

Pain was the only way. 

I grasped the end of the flaming stick within my palm and held back a scream as it ate through my flesh, sizzling. 

When I was sure it had done enough damage I threw the stick back into the flames. 

Loki returned, his arms full of firewood to replenish the flames. 

He reached towards me and I grabbed his outstretched hand. 

I stood and hugged him, hearing his heart, my cheek flush against his bare chest.

“Until we meet again.” His voice rumbled like muted thunder in my ear.

Loki’s cool fingers went to my temple, as he cradled my head to his chest, all the memories he had given to me before, my most prized possessions, he took away. Just. Like. That. 

I awoke the next morning in the cottage, tucked underneath several blankets. 

Out of habit, my hand went to the nightstand fumbling around in search of my phone. On it were several messages from Mr. Bill about missing the dinner and his fear that something had happened. 

My hand throbbed. 

Something had happened and though it was fuzzy on the edges it would become clearer with time. 

I was certain, as it was my fate, that I would soon find my way back through that path among the stars until I was in Loki’s embrace once more. 

***** Hope you all enjoyed this fic. Please take a moment to leave some feedback, reblog and like.  If you would like to be tagged in any future fics please send me an ask.  Peace, Loki’s Pet Tiger

PS thank you @tehgvicious​ for beta-ing!